What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citronellol
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Arctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Symphytum Officinale Root Extract
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Water, Myristic Acid, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Chloride, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Citronellol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Symphytum Officinale Root Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Geraniol, Limonene
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
PEG-14m
Emulsion StabilisingNelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLimonene
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Disodium EDTA
Rosa Gallica Flower Extract
AstringentButylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Cryptomeria Japonica Bud Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin, Water, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Lauric Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Glycol Distearate, Parfum, P-Anisic Acid, Tocopherol, PEG-14m, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Limonene, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Disodium EDTA, Rosa Gallica Flower Extract, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Cryptomeria Japonica Bud Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidLimonene 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 LimoneneMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources. In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin鈥檚 lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
