What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sorbitol
Humectant
Polyacrylate-33
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Propanediol
Solvent
Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Decyl Glucoside, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Sorbitol, Polyacrylate-33, Lauryl Glucoside, Acacia Senegal Gum, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Bisabolol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Maltodextrin, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 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.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateChances 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
