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 Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate
Emulsifying
Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
CleansingParfum
Masking
Lauramidopropylamine Oxide
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Methyl Isethionate
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate
CleansingMyristamidopropylamine Oxide
CleansingPolyquaternium-7
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Laurate
CleansingLimonene
Perfuming
Polygonum Fagopyrum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningLinalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 61570
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium PCA, Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate, Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate, Parfum, Lauramidopropylamine Oxide, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Panthenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Methyl Isethionate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Lauric Acid, Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate, Myristamidopropylamine Oxide, Polyquaternium-7, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Laurate, Limonene, Polygonum Fagopyrum Seed Extract, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Citronellol, CI 14700, CI 61570, CI 19140
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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 AcidCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate is a surfactant that helps water and oil mix so that dirt, sweat, sebum, and sunscreen can rinse away easily. It's not technically a sulfate, but behaves similarly in formulas.
What it does:
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate is a strong cleansing surfactant and is much stronger than many mild cleansers. Because it works deeply, it can disrupt the skin's barrier. This can lead to dryness or irritation for those with sensitive skin.
Compared to gentler surfactants, it's effective but more likely to dry or irritate if not balanced with soothing ingredients.
CIR considers sodium α-olefin sulfonates (including C14-16) to be safe for use in rinse-off products when properly formulated. It is poorly absorbed through normal skin but absorption increases if the skin barrier is already damaged.
Learn more about Sodium C14-16 Olefin SulfonateChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
