What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Pantolactone
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Pantolactone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Octyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingLaureth-4 Carboxylic Acid
SurfactantPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingLactic Acid
Buffering
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Laureth-4 Carboxylic Acid, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Propylene Glycol, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Sodium Benzoate
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerCocamidopropyl 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
