What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Citrus Nobilis Fruit Extract
MaskingCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-6 Oleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Surfactin
CleansingParfum
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Citrus Nobilis Fruit Extract, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Sodium PCA, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate, Sodium Surfactin, Parfum, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
CleansingPropolis Wax
EmollientAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil
Masking
Polyglyceryl-5 Oleate
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
Preservative
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Surfactin
CleansingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Alcohol Denat., Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Propolis Wax, Ascorbic Acid, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil, Polyglyceryl-5 Oleate, Citric Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Alcohol, Sodium Surfactin, Allantoin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol. It is denatured, meaning made undrinkable for cosmetic use.
In formulas, it:
Is it bad for your skin?
The answer comes down to concentration. Patch and wash studies have found highly concentrated alcohol-based hand rubs (60-100%) cause less barrier disruption than washing with a basic detergent like SLS. The only measurable effect in these studies was a temporary dip in skin hydration.
Concentrations below 12-15% in leave-on cosmetics is generally well-tolerated. Concentrations above start to see increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and reduced hydration.
In concentrations about 58%, it creates temporary channels in your skin's lipid layers to become more permeable and allow other ingredients to slip through easily.
This ingredient can be up to 80% of the formula in alcohol-based perfumes.
Overall, this ingredient is probably harmless if found lower down an ingredients list but worth side-eyeing if it's high up (especially if your barrier is already struggling).
Alcohol can worsen dry skin, eczema, and oily skin, especially at higher concentrations. This is because it can increase transepidermal water loss and decrease hydration to disrupt the skin barrier.
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
True allergic contact dermatitis to ethanol is uncommon, but be sure to patch test if you have dry or sensitive skin.
Learn more about AlcoholThis ingredient is a mild surfactant made by sticking glucose onto a blend of fatty acids.
It does two jobs because it has a sugar head that loves water and a fatty tail that loves oil:
Typical use levels range from 10-20% in cleansers and 15-30% in shower products.
Once on your skin, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down into glucose and the parent fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe because its fatty alcohol portion sits outside the Malassezia yeast's metabolization range.
Learn more about Caprylyl/Capryl GlucosideCitric 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 AcidGlycerin (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 Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateSodium Cocoyl Glutamate is a gentle cleanser and surfactant. It is the sodium salt of the Cocoyl Glutamic Acid and comes from coconut oil. As a surfactant, it helps lift dirt and oil to be washed away.
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate also has an emolliating effect and can help leave the skin feeling soft.
We don't have a description for Sodium Surfactin yet.
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
