What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Diglycerin
Humectant
Sodium Palmitate
CleansingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Papain
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientSodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cholesteryl Macadamiate
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingCarica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningKappaphycus Alvarezii Extract
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Zea Mays Starch, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Diglycerin, Sodium Palmitate, Maltodextrin, Allantoin, Papain, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide NP, Sucrose Stearate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Cholesterol, Palmitic Acid, Cholesteryl Macadamiate, Stearic Acid, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein, Saccharide Isomerate, Gluconolactone, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Water, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Parfum
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Diglycerin
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Papain
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningProtease
Exfoliating
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Zea Mays Starch, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Diglycerin, Allantoin, Maltodextrin, Papain, Water, Protease, 1,2-Hexanediol, Gluconolactone, Salicylic Acid, Citric Acid, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Glyceryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Ceramide NP, Madecassoside
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.Â
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 preservativesÂ
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 AllantoinCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPDiglycerin is a humectant. It is derived from glycerin, which is naturally found in your skin.
As a humectant, it helps draw moisture to the skin from the air.
Gluconolactone is a PHA. PHAs are a great gentle alternative to traditional AHAs.
When applied, Gluconolactone has the same affect on skin as AHAs such as lactic acid. It helps dissolve the dead skin cells in the top layer of your skin. This improves texture and brightens the skin.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. They do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
Gluconolactone has some interesting properties:
In a 2004 study, Gluconolactone was found to prevent UV damage in mouse skin cells and has not been found to increase sun sensitivity. However, we still recommend wearing SPF daily.
This ingredient is is an created by reacting gluconic acid with an alcohol.
Learn more about GluconolactoneMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinPapain is an enzyme found naturally in the papaya plant's leaves, fruit, and roots. It has antimicrobial, soothing, and wound healing properties.
Glycine and Vitamin A are naturally found in papain.
While papain is often touted as skin-lightening, further studies are needed to prove this. However, papain has been shown to help soothe acne-inflammation.
Papain belongs to a class of enzymes called proteolytic enzymes. These enzymes break down peptides and amino acids.
Some studies found papain to be a potential skin sensitizer and allergen. Those with latex allergies might also be allergic to papaya.
Learn more about PapainSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateSodium Lauroyl Glutamate is the sodium salt from the lauric acid of glutamic acid.
It is a surfactant and helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants from your skin so they may be washed away easily.
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 WaterZea Mays Starch is starch made from corn. You might know this as cornstarch . It is used to thicken a product. It can replace talc as an absorbent.
The pH of cornstarch is 5.92.
Cornstarch is a common food ingredient used to thicken soups or to make corn syrup.
Learn more about Zea Mays Starch
