What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantLauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Acrylates Copolymer
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Kaolin
Abrasive
Cocamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Polyquaternium-7
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Euglena Gracilis Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, PEG-8, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Acrylates Copolymer, Decyl Glucoside, Kaolin, Cocamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Polyquaternium-7, Niacinamide, Euglena Gracilis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sorbitol
Humectant
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Lauryl Glycol Carboxylate
CleansingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentDisodium EDTA
Menthol
Masking
Oryza Sativa Germ Oil
Emollient
Talc
Abrasive
Ethylcellulose
Linalool
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Acrylates Copolymer
CI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantPaeonia Albiflora Root Extract
Skin ConditioningSilica
Abrasive
Betaine
Humectant
Silk Powder
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Stearic Acid, PEG-8, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Lauric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sorbitol, Beeswax, Sodium Lauryl Glycol Carboxylate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Parfum, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Disodium EDTA, Menthol, Oryza Sativa Germ Oil, Talc, Ethylcellulose, Linalool, Geraniol, Citronellol, Sodium Metabisulfite, Acrylates Copolymer, CI 77007, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Silica, Betaine, Silk Powder, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Benzoic Acid, Tocopherol
Reviews
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 CopolymerGlycerin (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 AcidMyristic 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 AcidPEG-8 is a synthetic polymer used as a humectant and solvent.
This ingredient is able to help dissolve active ingredients, including water. This gives it humectant properties.
It is soluble in water. The number '8' stands for the molecular weight of the ingredient.
Learn more about PEG-8Potassium 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’s 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
