What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingKaolin
Abrasive
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSymphytum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sarcosine
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningEpilobium Fleischeri Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Oleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningWater, Polysorbate 80, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Sodium Citrate, Kaolin, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Butylene Glycol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Capryloyl Glycine, Hexylene Glycol, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sarcosine, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Epilobium Fleischeri Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Xanthan Gum, Limonene, Oleanolic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
