What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Salicylic Acid 2%
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCalcium Gluconate
HumectantTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCholesterol
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHectorite
AbsorbentPhytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Salicylic Acid 2%, Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Gluconolactone, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Calcium Gluconate, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Hectorite, Phytosphingosine, Benzoic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Laurate
CleansingSodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate
CleansingSodium Methyltaurate
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Tetrasodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Glutamic Acid, Lauric Acid, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate, Sodium Methyltaurate, Stearic Acid, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzoic Acid is used to preserve and adjust the pH of products.
The antimicrobial property of Benzoic Acid helps elongate a product's shelf life. Its main role is to reduce fungi growth and is not found to be effective at fighting bacteria. Therefore Benzoic Acid is always added along with other preservatives.
In its pure form, Benzoic Acid looks like a white crystalline solid. It has slight solubility in water.
The name of Benzoic Acid comes from gum benzoin, which used to be the sole source of deriving this ingredient. Benzoic Acid is the most simple aromatic carboxylic acid.
Benzoic Acid is naturally occuring in strawberries, mustard, cinnamon, and cloves. It has a slight scent but is not considered to be a fragrance.
Learn more about Benzoic AcidCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl 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 GlycerinSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateSodium 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 HydroxideTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
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 Water
