What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Betaine
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Chloride
MaskingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Agrimonia Eupatoria Extract
AstringentPortulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Betaine, Betaine, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Chloride, Coco-Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Decyl Glucoside, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Allantoin, Caffeine, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Agrimonia Eupatoria Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningCapric/Lauric/Myristic/Oleic Amidopropyl Betaine
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCharcoal Powder
Abrasive
Moroccan Lava Clay
Abrasive
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Water, Capric/Lauric/Myristic/Oleic Amidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, Xanthan Gum, Charcoal Powder, Moroccan Lava Clay, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Decyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is below the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl 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 Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilWater. 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
