What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Rhus Semialata Gall Extract
Skin ConditioningSalix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Butylene Glycol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Methylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Rhus Semialata Gall Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium C12-14 Pareth-3 Sulfosuccinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Sulfate
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Guar
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingLaureth-10
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearamide Amp
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Linalyl Acetate
Masking
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Geranium Maculatum Extract
TonicWater, Disodium C12-14 Pareth-3 Sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Glycol Stearate, Hydroxypropyl Guar, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Laureth-10, Ethylhexylglycerin, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Stearamide Amp, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Linalyl Acetate, Salicylic Acid, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Geranium Maculatum Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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 BetaineDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is also known as tea tree oil. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
Tea tree oil is a complex lipophilic (fat-loving) oil that contains around 100 compounds with terpinen-4-ol being the most abundant (~40%).
Terpinen-4-ol is responsible for tea tree oil's broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and makes it a well-researched option for acne.
Clinical studies support 5% tea tree oil as an effective topical treatment for mild to moderate acne. A study with 124 patients compared 5% tea tree oil gel to 5% benzoyl peroxide and both reduced acne (though tea tree oil worked more slowly).
Besides acne, it is also seen in anti-dandruff shampoos and scalp treatments for it's antimicrobial and anti-seborrheic properties.
Safety-wise, the allergic potential of low concentrations on healthy skin is considered low. However, oxidized (old or improperly stored) tea tree oil is a stronger sensitizer.
Irritation can also occur if using the undiluted oil on skin; it's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted cosmetic formula. This is because regulations require tea tree oil in cosmetics to be stabilized to prevent degradation.
This ingredient has been deemed safe up to 2% in shampoo, 1% in cleansers, and 0.1% in face cream by the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS).
There is some lab evidence that tea tree oil is antifungal against Malassezia, but it is a supportive option at best and not a replacement for proven antifungal treatments.
Learn more about Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf OilPhenoxyethanol 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.
Salix Alba Bark Extract comes from the bark of the white willow tree. The official CosIng listing states this ingredient to have astringent, skin conditioning, soothing, and tonic properties.
Its star compound is salicin, a natural glucoside that is chemically related to salicylic acid. That's why you'll often see it marketed as a "natural BHA alternative" but that's a bit of a stretch.
Your skin can't convert salicin to salicylic acid because it needs specific enzymes that aren't present on the skin's surface. It won't behave like true salicylic acid, especially at the concentrations used in cosmetics.
However, this ingredient has its own perks. It contains flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins that give it proven antioxidant and soothing properties.
An 8-week clinical study found a cream with 2% of this extract improved skin microcirculation, elasticity, and dark circles. This is most likely due to its role in increasing hyaluronic acid synthesis in fibroblasts and improved vascular integrity.
Another study found a topical serum with 0.5% salicin showed improvements in visible signs of aging, hyperpigmentation, and texture.
Just be careful if you have a known aspirin/salicylate allergy and be sure to consult with a medical professional about using this ingredient if you do.
Fun fact: Willow Bark extract has been used for thousands of years and ancient civilizations used white willow to help treat pain and fevers.
Learn more about Salix Alba Bark ExtractChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
