What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Glycereth-7 Caprylate/Caprate
EmulsifyingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sorbitan Caprylate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Glycolate
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Sulfate
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycol Distearate, Glycereth-7 Caprylate/Caprate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Decyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propanediol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sorbitan Caprylate, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Glycolate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 15985, Sodium Sulfate
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingSodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Verbena Officinalis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningVetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitrus Glauca Fruit Extract
HumectantMicrocitrus Australasica Fruit Extract
Microcitrus Australis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Panax Quinquefolius Root Extract
AstringentSodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Verbena Officinalis Flower Extract, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Glauca Fruit Extract, Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract, Microcitrus Australis Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panax Quinquefolius Root Extract, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (SAP) is a water-soluble form of Vitamin C. It is the salt of ascorbic acid.
This ingredient is commonly used in skincare because it's more formulation-stable while still offering the same benefits as pure ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is notorious for breaking down when exposed to sunlight and oxygen whereas SAP has been shown to be more stable.
Studies show SAP has anti-acne and antioxidant benefits. One study found 5% of SAP lotion to be an effective ingredient for treating acne vulgaris. This is because research shows that SAP may help control acne by reducing acne-causing bacteria and slowing the oxidation of skin oils caused by UV exposure.
In addition to acne, vitamin C is important for skin structure. Lab studies suggest SAP may support collagen production in skin cells, making it a great ingredient in anti-aging routines.
Vitamin C has many benefits: it helps reduce redness, improve skin texture, fade the appearance of dark spots, and brighten the skin.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Learn more about Sodium Ascorbyl PhosphateChances 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 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 IsethionateSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
