What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Isobutane
Propane
Glycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Threonine
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Valine
MaskingHistidine
Humectant
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
PCA
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Seed Protein
Antioxidant
Polyquaternium-4
Polyquaternium-11
Polyquaternium-73
Oryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingSodium Surfactin
CleansingHydrolyzed Pea Protein
EmollientHydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantHydrolyzed Amaranth Protein
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Lactate
Buffering
Octyldodecyl Ricinoleate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-6 Oleate
Emulsifying
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phytic Acid
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Water, Propanediol, Isobutane, Propane, Glycerin, Panthenol, Arginine, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Threonine, Proline, Valine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Oryza Sativa Seed Protein, Polyquaternium-4, Polyquaternium-11, Polyquaternium-73, Oryza Sativa Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Sodium Surfactin, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Calcium Gluconate, Hydrolyzed Amaranth Protein, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Lactate, Octyldodecyl Ricinoleate, Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Phytic Acid, Gluconolactone, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is a low-molecular weight gas using as a propellant in foams, sprays, and mousses.
It is not intended to interact with skin in a meaningful way as it evaporates almost immediately after dispensing and only leaving behind the actual product formula.
If it does somehow make it onto your skin, it is chemically inert and does not penetrate or get absorbed into skin. Safety assessments note that adverse skin reactions to this ingredient are uncommon.
Learn more about IsobutanePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWe don't have a description for Polyquaternium-4 yet.
Propane is a gas derived from petroleum and natural gas. In cosmetics, its only used as an aerosol propellant (it pushes your product out of the can when you press the nozzle).
That's why you'll find it in hair sprays, dry shampoos, deodorants, mousses, shaving foams, and sunscreen sprays.
It is volatile, meaning it only remains on skin for less than 10 seconds before evaporating. It doesn't really linger long enough on skin to act as a skincare ingredient in any meaningful way.
Hairspray concentrations are between 6-17%.
The CIR Expert Panel concluded it to be safe as a cosmetic ingredient under present concentration and usage.
Learn more about PropaneWater. 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
