What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide
EmollientSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Isopropyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-2 Cocoate
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Limon Fruit Oil
Astringent
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Sorbitol
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Carum Petroselinum Extract
Skin ConditioningActinidia Arguta Juice
EmollientSaururus Chinensis Extract
Skin ConditioningSpinacia Oleracea
Skin ConditioningPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
HumectantWater, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycereth-2 Cocoate, Citric Acid, Citrus Limon Fruit Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Behentrimonium Chloride, Sorbitol, Caffeine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Carum Petroselinum Extract, Actinidia Arguta Juice, Saururus Chinensis Extract, Spinacia Oleracea, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Chances 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 ChlorideSodium 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 TaurateWater. 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
