What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Acrylates Copolymer
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil
Skin Protecting
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Calendula Officinalis Flower
Skin Conditioning
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingRhamnose
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Glucomannan
Skin ConditioningXylitylglucoside
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Xylitol
Humectant
Glucuronic Acid
Buffering
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Glucose
Humectant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Lecithin
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Urea, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Acrylates Copolymer, Panthenol, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Phenoxyethanol, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Calendula Officinalis Flower, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Rhamnose, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Glucomannan, Xylitylglucoside, Sodium Hydroxide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Anhydroxylitol, Coco-Glucoside, Xylitol, Glucuronic Acid, Coconut Acid, Glucose, Inulin, Citric Acid, Lecithin, Propanediol
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Trideceth Sulfate
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingCocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Arginine
Masking
Water, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamide Mea, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium PCA, Niacinamide, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Potassium Sorbate, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Arginine
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCitric 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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilPotassium 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
