What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Denatonium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Glyceryl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Alcohol, Denatonium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Hydrolyzed Potato Starch Dodecenylsuccinate
SurfactantPotassium Acrylates Copolymer
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Polyquaternium-10
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Hydrolyzed Potato Starch Dodecenylsuccinate, Potassium Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Polyquaternium-10, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
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 AcidDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidPhenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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
