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 ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Sodium C12-15 Pareth-15 Sulfonate
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Methyldihydrojasmonate
MaskingIsobutyl Methyl Tetrahydropyranol
MaskingEthylene Brassylate
MaskingEthyl Linalool
Masking
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Cyclamen Aldehyde
Masking
Gamma-Undecalactone
Perfuming
Methylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal
Perfuming
Citronellyl Acetate
MaskingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Methyl Dimethylmethylenecyclohexane Carboxylate
MaskingPolyquaternium-7
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Salicylic Acid
Masking
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sodium C12-15 Pareth-15 Sulfonate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Butylene Glycol, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Isobutyl Methyl Tetrahydropyranol, Ethylene Brassylate, Ethyl Linalool, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclamen Aldehyde, Gamma-Undecalactone, Methylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal, Citronellyl Acetate, Propylene Glycol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Methyl Dimethylmethylenecyclohexane Carboxylate, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Salicylic Acid, DMDM Hydantoin, CI 14700, CI 17200
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCocamidopropyl 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 GlycerinPeg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate is used to improve texture and stability of a product. It is sugar based and helps thicken a product.
Once applied, it also creates a thin film to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
This ingredient is the polyethylene glycol ether of the diester of oleic acid and methylglucose. The 120 represents an average of 120 moles of ethylene oxide.
There is limited research on this ingredient, although it is considered safe to use in skincare products.
Learn more about PEG-120 Methyl Glucose DioleatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Propylene 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 GlycolSodium 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 BenzoateChances 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
