What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMethyl Trimethicone
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantSulfur
AntiseborrhoeicAcacia Senegal Gum
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantTocopherol
AntioxidantCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingVinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Denatonium Benzoate
MaskingDisodium EDTA
ChelatingAlcohol
AntimicrobialEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Methyl Trimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sulfur, Acacia Senegal Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Denatonium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCalamine
AbsorbentBentonite
AbsorbentButylene Glycol
HumectantZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningKaolin
AbrasivePanthenol
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus/Licorice Root Extract Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSulfur
AntiseborrhoeicHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantVolcanic Ash
AbrasiveLactobacillus/Centella Asiatica Extract Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningLeptospermum Petersonii Oil
MaskingAsiaticoside
AntioxidantMentha Haplocalix Extract
MaskingMadecassic Acid
Skin ConditioningAsiatic Acid
Skin ConditioningMenthyl Lactate
MaskingScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
AstringentCitral
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingWater, Glycerin, Calamine, Bentonite, Butylene Glycol, Zinc Oxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Kaolin, Panthenol, Lactobacillus/Licorice Root Extract Ferment Filtrate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sulfur, Hydroxyacetophenone, Volcanic Ash, Lactobacillus/Centella Asiatica Extract Ferment Filtrate, Leptospermum Petersonii Oil, Asiaticoside, Mentha Haplocalix Extract, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Menthyl Lactate, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinSulfur is one of skincare's oldest ingredients that has been used to treat acne, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, scabies, and tinea versicolor.
How does it work?
When sulfur touches skin, it reacts with an amino acid in skin cells (called cysteine) to create cystine and hydrogen sulfide.
That hydrogen sulfide helps loosen dead skin cells to exfoliate. And here's a geeky detail: the smaller the Sulfur particles, the more they interact with skin and the better they work.
Sulfur also has antifungal and antibacterial activity, which is why you'll see it in both acne treatments and dandruff shampoos.
In the US, acne products can use 3-10% sulfur while dandruff products use 2-5%. It's also often paired with Sodium Sulfacetamide, and using that combo twice daily for 12 weeks reduced inflammatory acne spots by about 80%.
The most common complains are the smell and dryness. Otherwise, side effects are uncommon.
If you have a "sulfa" allergy, that's an allergy to sulfonamide drugs and this doesn't mean you'll react to elemental sulfur.
A 1972 study suggested sulfur might clog pores. Elemental sulfur caused some clogged pores on rabbit ears and human backs (though the researchers noted the effect was mild).
A 1978 follow-up tested this on 52 people. After six weeks of patches with 5% Sulfur, skin biopsies showed no link between Sulfur and clogged pores. The surprise? The base the Sulfur was mixed into was what caused clogged pores. Later reviewers also noted that other studies couldn't repeat the 1972 results.
So why does Sulfur have a comedogenic rating of 3?
That number comes from a 1989 rabbit ear study by dermatologist James Fulton, which gave a 3 to water-soluble sulfur specifically. Even so, a 3 isn't a big red flag. Fulton's own scale treats 2 to 3 as borderline.
Human testing has also proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.
Learn more about SulfurWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum