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 Sarcosinate
CleansingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingCitrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Cymbopogon Nardus Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Citric Acid
Buffering
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
PPG-5-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Cymbopogon Nardus Oil, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Propanediol, Citric Acid, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Disodium EDTA, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Geranium Maculatum Oil
Masking
Citral
Perfuming
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil
Masking
Artemisia Absinthium Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Coco-Betaine, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Limonene, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Citral, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Citric Acid
Reviews
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 AcidCitrus Limon Peel Oil is created from the peels of the lemon. It is used to add a lemon-scent to products. Lemon peel oil also has antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. However, it may also cause phototoxicity and sensitize skin.
Lemon peel oil contains limonene, a skin sensitizing ingredient. Another component is furanocoumarin, which induces phototoxicity in skin.
Furanocoumarins bind and destabilize your DNA to increase the rate of sunburn.
Most reputable companies will remove furanocoumarins from their formulations.
Learn more about Citrus Limon Peel OilGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
