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 Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAscorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Bromelain
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Acer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cocamide Mipa
Emulsifying
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Trehalose
Humectant
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Papain, Niacinamide, Bromelain, Sodium PCA, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-51, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Cocamide Mipa, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Urea, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Trehalose, Maltodextrin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Coco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideGlycerin (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 one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate is a gentle, coconut-derived cleansing surfactant. It's most commonly found in "sulfate-free" cleansers.
As a taurate, it belongs to a class of anionic surfactants prized for being efficient at cleansing without harshness, good performance in hard water, stability across a wide pH range, and easily biodegradable.
It is able to lift away oil and grime and make a nice lather without stripping your skin, so it's a good pick for sensitive skin.
Safety-wise, it has a good record. The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics and concentrations go up to 11% in leave-on products or 13% in rinse-off products.
Despite being derived from coconut oil, this ingredient is fungal acne safe. It's a water-soluble surfactant with no fatty oils or esters left intact on skin for the Malassezia yeast to feed.
Learn more about Sodium Methyl Cocoyl TaurateUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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
