What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingMannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Rhamnose
HumectantFructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
PEG-90 Glyceryl Isostearate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Laureth-2
CleansingAmmonium Glycyrrhizate
MaskingLysine Azelate
BleachingPyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningUndecyl Alcohol
AntiseborrhoeicCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Mannitol, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Fructooligosaccharides, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Zinc Gluconate, PEG-90 Glyceryl Isostearate, Sodium Chloride, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Capryloyl Glycine, Decylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Laureth-2, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Lysine Azelate, Pyridoxine Hcl, Undecyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingPropanediol
Solvent
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPEG-90 Glyceryl Isostearate
Cleansing
Mannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Laureth-2
CleansingRhamnose
HumectantFructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Reviews
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-GlucosideFructooligosaccharides (FOS) are a type of prebiotic sugar with humectant and skin conditioning properties. As a humectant, they help attract and hold moisture in the skin.
FOS essentially acts as a food source for the "good" bacteria on your skin and make it harder for "bad" bacteria to thrive. A 2022 study using a reconstructured human skin model found that just 1% of FOS was enough to shift the bacteria balance in favor of beneficial species. This suggests it could help support a healthier skin microbiome over time.
This ingredient has a low sensitization risk and testing shows it does not classify as a skin irritant or sensitizer.
FOS are usually produced from sugar beets and can also be found in foods like bananas, garlic, and onions.
Learn more about FructooligosaccharidesGlyceryl 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 OleateLaureth-2 is a synthetic surfactant that has cleansing and emulsifying properties. It is commonly used to blend oil and water, help improve cleansing, and add foam.
Like other surfactants, laureth-2 works by reducing surface tension to help dirt, sebum, and other impurities be washed away easily.
This ingredient has low risk of irritation when properly formulated. However, some individuals with sensitive skin may still experience mild irritation.
Learn more about Laureth-2Mannitol is a sugar alcohol. It is a humectant and moisturizes the skin. In vitro (not tested on a living organism), mannitol displays antioxidant properties.
When found in aqueous solutions, mannitol tends to become acidic. This is because it loses a hydrogen ion. This is why mannitol can often be found with pH adjusting ingredients, such as sodium bicarbonate.
Fun fact: Mannitol can be found in foods as a sweetener. It can be naturally found in mushrooms, algae, fruits, and veggies.
Learn more about MannitolPeg-90 Glyceryl Isostearate is a surfactant made by reacting glycerin with isostearic acid and then attaching 90 ethylene oxide units. This gives the molecule a water-loving tail.
This dual water-oil loving structure gives this ingredient several properties; it is a:
Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating (also why it's pretty tolerable).
Leave-on product usage ranges between 1-5% while shaving gels can go up to 10%.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe due to the isostearic acid base.
Learn more about PEG-90 Glyceryl IsostearateWe don't have a description for Rhamnose yet.
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It is a surfactant derived from sarcosine, and a common source is coconut oil.
As a surfactant, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate helps lift dirts, oil, and other molecules to be washed away. In leave-on products, this ingredient is used as an emulsifier. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients such as oils and waters from separating.
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is also commonly found as a foaming agent in shampoo, toothpaste, and shaving foam. It is amphiphilic, meaning it loves both water and fats.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl SarcosinateWater. 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
