What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingPEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
EmulsifyingSodium Chloride
MaskingCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCoco-Glucoside
CleansingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientC12-15 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingSorbic Acid
PreservativeBenzoic Acid
MaskingBackhousia Citriodora Leaf Oil
MaskingDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeTocopherol
AntioxidantHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
EmollientLecithin
EmollientAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantCitral
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingWater, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, C12-15 Pareth-12, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citral, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingCoco-Betaine
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingPEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCitrus Paradisi Peel Oil
MaskingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
MaskingCinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil
MaskingCupressus Sempervirens Oil
MaskingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialSorbic Acid
PreservativeTocopherol
AntioxidantPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingCoco-Glucoside
CleansingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientSodium Chloride
MaskingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingSodium Citrate
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
BufferingLimonene
PerfumingHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
EmollientWater, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Coco-Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Allantoin, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens Oil, Chlorphenesin, Sorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Chloride, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Limonene, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideGlycerin (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 Oleate is the monoester of glycerin and oleic acid. It is a skin-conditioning emollient that also helps form emulsions.
What makes glyceryl oleate special is its "re-fatting" effect.
When you wash your hair and skin with a surfactant-based cleanser, the surfactants grab onto everything. This includes your skin's natural lipids, or the fats that live in your skin barrier and sebum. Once you rinse these surfactants away, it leaves your skin feeling tight, dry, and clean (in a not-good way).
Re-fatting is essentially putting some of these lipids back. Glyceryl oleate deposits a thin layer of emollient lipids back on the skin or hair surface reduce some of the barrier damage.
Also, glyceryl oleate isn't a foreign molecule to your skin. It's chemically identical to something your skin already produces and manages naturally. This is why it tends to be well-tolerated with low risk of irritation.
Typical use levels range from 0.5-5%.
Glyceryl Oleate has a function of "perfuming" in the CosIng database. This just means that the ingredient has some scent character that can contribute to the product's overall smell.
The scent of this ingredient is described as "waxy".
As an ester of oleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. This is because oleic acid falls into the carbon-chain length that Malassezia can use as a substrate.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate isn't fungal acne safe.
Lauryl Glucoside sugar- and lipid-based cleansing agent. It is created from glucose and lauryl alcohol.
This ingredient is a surfactant, making it easier to rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants away.
A British study found lauryl glucoside to cause skin sensitivity for some people. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Other names for this ingredient include "Lauryl Polyglucose", "Lauryl glycoside", and "D-Glucopyranoside".
Learn more about Lauryl GlucosideLimonene 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 LimonenePeg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate is used to improve texture and stability of a product. It is sugar based and helps thicken a product.
Once applied, it also creates a thin film to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
This ingredient is the polyethylene glycol ether of the diester of oleic acid and methylglucose. The 120 represents an average of 120 moles of ethylene oxide.
There is limited research on this ingredient, although it is considered safe to use in skincare products.
Learn more about PEG-120 Methyl Glucose DioleateChances 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 ChlorideWe don't have a description for Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate yet.
Sorbic Acid is a preservative that stops your product from spoiling by stopping microbes from growing.
As a preservative, it's kind of a specialist: it has a broad spectrum of activity against yeast and molds but is weaker against bacteria. That's why it's often paired with another preservative to cover that gap.
This ingredient is also pretty picky about pH; it performs best at pH 6.5 or below.
At the right pH level, sorbic acid is "active" and can slip through the outer wall of a microbe. Once inside, it turns the cell's interior more acidic to shut down the microbe from the inside.
The EU caps this ingredient at 0.6% while the CIR has concluded it's safe at concentrations up to 1%. It's most often used around 0.05-0.2% in cosmetics.
Though this ingredient is considered low-sensitizing and well-tolerated, a very small number of people may have a contact allergy to it. Be sure to patch test if you have a history of allergies towards preservatives.
Learn more about Sorbic AcidTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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