What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Kaolin
Abrasive
Oryza Sativa Powder
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Lauryl Lactyl Lactate
Skin ConditioningBentonite
Absorbent
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingIron Oxides
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract
MoisturisingEchinacea Purpurea Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningEchinacea Angustifolia Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Potassium Hydroxide, Myristic Acid, Behenic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Lauric Acid, Kaolin, Oryza Sativa Powder, Stearic Acid, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Lauryl Lactyl Lactate, Bentonite, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Iron Oxides, Panthenol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Echinacea Angustifolia Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Sorbitol
Humectant
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Mannitol
Humectant
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentPolyquaternium-7
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Iron Oxides
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Sorbitol, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Papain, Tocopheryl Acetate, Palmitic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Mannitol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Polyquaternium-7, Zea Mays Starch, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyacetophenone, Iron Oxides, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinMyristic 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 AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources.
In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic 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 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 AcidTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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 WaterThis ingredient is a combination of red, black, and yellow iron oxide pigments. This combination of colors is usually found in foundation, because it results in a "skin" color.
The EU typically uses CI numbers for colorants when applicable, such as CI 77489. In the US, iron oxides are regulated as color additives and "iron oxides" is the most commonly used name in US cosmetic practice.
A 2021 paper looked at skincare formulations containing iron oxides and found that they reduced transmission of blue light when measured optically. In simple terms, the pigment particles helped block or scatter part of the visible light spectrum in lab testing and the authors suggest this could translate into better protection against blue-light-related skin effects.
There is also clinical and experimental research showing that tinted products containing iron oxides can reduce visible light-induced pigmentation:
Please note, whether a product reduces visible or blue light depends on things like:
In the EU's CosIng database, iron oxides are only listed as a colorant. CosIng groups ingredients by their main cosmetic role, such as colorant, preservative, or UV filter.
Though studies say iron oxides can "attenuate blue light", they're describing an optical property and not an officially recognized cosmetic function.
So CosIng isn’t contradicting the research. It’s just classifying iron oxides by what they officially are: pigments that add color.
Learn more about Iron Oxides
