What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningTriethanolamine
BufferingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
C9-15 Alkyl Phosphate
CleansingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Methylparaben
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Propylparaben
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantSolvent Yellow 33
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glycylglycine
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-400
Emulsion StabilisingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Zinc Lauroyl Aspartate
Tea-Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
PEG-32
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Polyquaternium-7
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPolyquaternium-52
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Glycylglycine, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-400, Decyl Glucoside, Zinc Lauroyl Aspartate, Tea-Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, PEG-32, Disodium EDTA, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Polyquaternium-52, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
BHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.
As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.
The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.
However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.
Learn more about BHTCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 a semi-synthetic polymer created from cellulose. In case you need a refresher, cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls.
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose has many uses:
- emulsifier
- create a gel-like texture
- boost foam
Lauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenPropylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben with antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
This ingredient can be naturally found in plants and insects, but most of it is synthetically manufactured for human use. In cosmetics, it is usually created by reacting para-aminobenzoic acid and propanol (an alcohol).
You can usually find this ingredient in water-based products.
Parabens have come under controversy due to the claim they are hormone disruptors. Studies show conflicting results. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Propylparaben is commonly found in food, medicine, and cosmetics.
Learn more about PropylparabenWater. 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
