What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Seed Protein
Antioxidant
Oryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Pyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningCalcium Pantothenate
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Potassium Laureth-4 Carboxylate
Polyquaternium-22
C12-13 Pareth-9
EmulsifyingPEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate
Cleansing
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Arginine
Masking
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate
AbsorbentPropanediol
Solvent
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Phytic Acid
Sodium Citrate
BufferingGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Decyl Glucoside, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Oryza Sativa Seed Protein, Oryza Sativa Extract, Allantoin, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine Hcl, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Laureth-4 Carboxylate, Polyquaternium-22, C12-13 Pareth-9, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Arginine, Coconut Acid, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Dicaprylyl Ether, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Propanediol, Maltodextrin, Phytic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Gluconolactone, Silica, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Benzoic Acid, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances 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 Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate is a cleansing ingredient. It is a surfactant, meaning it helps gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants. This helps them be rinsed away easily.
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
Water. 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
