What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Sucrose
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Calamine
AbsorbentParfum
Masking
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingHydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Coumarin
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlycerin, Sucrose, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Water, Sodium Chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Coconut Acid, Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Calamine, Parfum, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Sodium Isethionate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Coumarin, Linalool, Limonene, Geraniol, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSea Water
HumectantWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamide Mipa
Emulsifying
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Lauryl Betaine
CleansingDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Menthol
Masking
Laminaria Japonica Powder
Skin ConditioningSalicylic Acid
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Disodium EDTA
Sea Salt
Abrasive
Caramel
Cosmetic ColorantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Spirulina Platensis Extract
Skin Protecting1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
Undaria Pinnatifida Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Sodium Chloride, Sea Water, Water, Glycerin, Cocamide Mipa, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Betaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Glycol Distearate, Sorbitol, Caprylyl Glycol, Menthol, Laminaria Japonica Powder, Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Niacinamide, Disodium EDTA, Sea Salt, Caramel, Dipropylene Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Spirulina Platensis Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Limonene, Linalool
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateLimonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about LimoneneLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
