What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal
Abrasive
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Cellulose
Absorbent
Oryza Sativa Powder
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingPyrus Malus Fiber
Abrasive
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Sodium Chloride
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDextrin
AbsorbentDisodium EDTA
Calendula Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal, 1,2-Hexanediol, Coconut Acid, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cellulose, Oryza Sativa Powder, Sodium Isethionate, Pyrus Malus Fiber, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Parfum, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dextrin, Disodium EDTA, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal
Abrasive
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Charcoal Powder
Abrasive
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Kaolin
Abrasive
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Citrus Junos Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycerin, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Charcoal Powder, Coconut Acid, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Kaolin, Sodium Isethionate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Citrus Junos Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
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.Â
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 preservativesÂ
Coconut acid is a mixture of fatty acids obtains by hydrolyzing coconut oil and then distilling the fatty acid portion. It works as a cleansing surfactant, emollient, and emulsifier depending on the formulation.
This ingredient is not a single compound but reflects the fatty acid profile of coconut oil itself, which is about 90% saturated. The dominant fatty acid is lauric acid (44-54%) and then myristic acid (13-19%). There are small amount of caprylic, capric, palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
Human testing from CIR has shown no indication this ingredient to be a primary irritant, sensitizer, or phototoxic compound. It's also COSMOS-approved for natural and organic products.
Due to the high fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coconut AcidEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is a modified starch used to help thicken a product.
It is also used in foods.
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Meal comes from the Sweet Almond tree. This sweet almond seed meal is the residue from expressing almond oil.
As an abrasive, it can help exfoliate the top layer of skin.
Chances 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 ChlorideSodium Cocoyl Glycinate is a cleansing agent. It can be naturally derived or synthetically-created.
As a surfactant, it helps clean your skin by gathering dirt, oil, and other pollutants to be rinsed away more easily.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateWe don't have a description for Sodium Isethionate yet.
This gentle cleansing and foaming ingredient is known for leaving a smooth feeling in skin and hair. It is made using coconut oil.
According to the manufacturer, it is soluble in water and has resistance to hard water, acid, and alkali.
Due to its coconut base, it may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Sodium Methyl Cocoyl TaurateWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
