What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Melaleuca Alternifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water
AntimicrobialMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Potassium Hydroxide, Coco-Glucoside, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Salicylic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sorbitan Olivate, Panthenol, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Phytate, 1,2-Hexanediol
Water
Skin ConditioningPEG-8
HumectantStearic Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Honey Extract
Humectant
Honey
Humectant
Royal Jelly
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Propolis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Polyquaternium-7
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Oxide
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, PEG-8, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Glycerin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Honey Extract, Honey, Royal Jelly, Pentylene Glycol, Propolis Extract, Butylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-7, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Madecassoside, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Oxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Centella Asiatica Extract (Centella) is derived from an herb native to Southeast Asia. It is famous for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
Centella is rich in antioxidants and amino acids, such as Madecassic Acid and Asiaticoside.
Studies show the compounds in centella help with:
The combination of all these properties makes centella effective at soothing, hydrating, and protecting the skin.
Other great components of centella include Vitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, and Asiatic Acid.
Fun fact: Centella has been used as a medicine and in food for many centuries. As a medicine, it is used to treat burns, scratches, and wounds.
Learn more about Centella Asiatica ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateLauric 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 AcidPotassium 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 AcidWater. 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
