What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
PPG-24-Glycereth-24
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-7
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingTetrasodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Extracts
CI 60730
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Behenic Acid, PPG-24-Glycereth-24, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-7, Hexylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Extracts, CI 60730
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sucrose
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
PEG-3 Distearate
Emulsifying
Urea
Buffering
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium EDTA
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Behenic Acid, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Potassium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, Caffeine, Butylene Glycol, Sucrose, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trehalose, PEG-3 Distearate, Urea, Polyquaternium-51, Trisodium EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behenic acid is a long-chain fatty acid with 22 carbon atoms (C22) that is naturally found in moringa, rapeseed, and peanut oil.
In skincare, it's about as drama-free as ingredients come. It acts primarily as a texture enhancer, thickener, and opacifying agent that gives richness and viscosity to formulas.
On skin, it forms a protective, emollient layer that helps with moisture retention and contributes to barrier integrity.
In vitro studies on genotoxicity have come back negative and this ingredient is well-tolerated. Typical use concentrations range from 0.024%-22%.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because Behenic acid falls within the C11-24 fatty acid range capable of supporting Malassezia growth.
Learn more about Behenic AcidButylene 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 GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinLauric 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 AcidMyristic Acid, aka tetradecanoic acid, is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in coconut oil and palm oil.
In skincare, it is an:
Research indicates that this ingredient posts a low risk of irritation and sensitization.
Since myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid, it falls within the range that Malassezia can metabolize, and therefore not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPhenoxyethanol 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.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate is a gentle, coconut-derived cleansing surfactant. It's most commonly found in "sulfate-free" cleansers.
As a taurate, it belongs to a class of anionic surfactants prized for being efficient at cleansing without harshness, good performance in hard water, stability across a wide pH range, and easily biodegradable.
It is able to lift away oil and grime and make a nice lather without stripping your skin, so it's a good pick for sensitive skin.
Safety-wise, it has a good record. The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics and concentrations go up to 11% in leave-on products or 13% in rinse-off products.
Despite being derived from coconut oil, this ingredient is fungal acne safe. It's a water-soluble surfactant with no fatty oils or esters left intact on skin for the Malassezia yeast to feed.
Learn more about Sodium Methyl Cocoyl TaurateWater. 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
