What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingCoconut Acid
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Carrot Protein/Hydrolyzed Kale Protein/Hydrolyzed Lemon Protein Extract
Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentAscorbyl Glucoside
AntioxidantLactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract
AntioxidantLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialTocopherol
AntioxidantMenaquinone-7
AntiseborrhoeicMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingSodium Phytate
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
MaskingWater, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Coconut Acid, Sodium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Carrot Protein/Hydrolyzed Kale Protein/Hydrolyzed Lemon Protein Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Menaquinone-7, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Isethionate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingPEG-18 Glyceryl Oleate/Cocoate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePanthenol
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingParfum
MaskingSodium Methylparaben
PreservativeSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Benzoate
MaskingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantButylene Glycol
HumectantAscorbyl Glucoside
AntioxidantTetrasodium EDTA
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingSpiraea Ulmaria Extract
AstringentWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-18 Glyceryl Oleate/Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Parfum, Sodium Methylparaben, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tetrasodium EDTA, Dipropylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ascorbyl Glucoside is a stable form of Vitamin C. It is created by combining glucose from starch.
When applied to skin, Ascorbyl Glucoside turns into Ascorbic Acid.
Ascorbyl Glucoside is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may damage skin cells.
It can help to reduce redness, improve skin texture, reduce the effects of aging, reduce the visibility of dark spots, and brighten skin.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Learn more about Ascorbyl GlucosideCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineDecyl 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 GlycerinParfum 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 ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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