What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-7
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Oil
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Pinus Palustris Oil
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAmber Powder
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Centella Asiatica Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyquaternium-7, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Citrus Nobilis Oil, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Pinus Palustris Oil, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Amber Powder, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sucrose Stearate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Centella Asiatica Root Extract, Asiatic Acid, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Madecassoside
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMethylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingLactose
HumectantMicrocrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentDisodium EDTA
Hydroxypropylcellulose
EmulsifyingOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPulsatilla Koreana Extract
Skin ConditioningUsnea Barbata Extract
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantAspergillus/Rice Ferment Extract
HumectantHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polysorbate 20, Glycol Distearate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Methylparaben, Sodium Chloride, Lactose, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Octyldodecanol, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, CI 77891, Aspergillus/Rice Ferment Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide NP, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateLauric 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 AcidPotassium 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 HydroxideStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
