What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Coco-Glucoside, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Ceramide NP, Glycol Distearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lecithin, Coconut Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Squalane
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Rhamnose
HumectantGlucomannan
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glucuronic Acid
Buffering
Glucose
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Water, Glycerin, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Squalane, Sodium Chloride, Beta-Glucan, Caprylyl Glycol, Rhamnose, Glucomannan, Propanediol, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glucuronic Acid, Glucose, Sodium Benzoate, Coco-Glucoside, Parfum, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Coconut Acid, Geraniol, Limonene, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
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 AcidCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineCoco-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-GlucosideCoconut 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 AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinPotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances 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
