What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Hippophae Rhamnoides Kernel Extract
MaskingArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Coco-Glucoside, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Piroctone Olamine, Citric Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Hippophae Rhamnoides Kernel Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids
CleansingDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Sucrose Laurate
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingOenocarpus Bataua Fruit Oil
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningMalva Sylvestris Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningScutellaria Alpina Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Citrate
BufferingLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Oleate, Sucrose Laurate, Coco-Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Oenocarpus Bataua Fruit Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract, Scutellaria Alpina Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Citrate, Limonene, Linalool, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideDecyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is below the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
