What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
PCA
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Lysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Arginine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingLactic Acid
Buffering
Lauramine Oxide
CleansingSodium Carbonate
BufferingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Betaine, Sodium Lactate, PCA, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Glycerin, Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Lactic Acid, Lauramine Oxide, Sodium Carbonate, Polysorbate 20, Imidazolidinyl Urea
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Arginine
Masking
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Lauryl Glycol Carboxylate
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Sulfite
Preservative
Aroma
Water, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoate, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Panthenol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Arginine, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Lauryl Glycol Carboxylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycosyl Trehalose, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Sulfite, Aroma
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolChances 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 ChlorideSodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.
Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.
As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.
There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.
Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.
It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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
