What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Polyquaternium-7
Acrylates Copolymer
Algae Extract
EmollientZinc PCA
Humectant
Magnesium PCA
Humectant
Manganese PCA
HumectantCalcium PCA
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyquaternium-7, Acrylates Copolymer, Algae Extract, Zinc PCA, Magnesium PCA, Manganese PCA, Calcium PCA, Citric Acid, Parfum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cocamide Mipa
Emulsifying
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Kaempferia Galanga Root Extract
Skin ConditioningSalvia Sclarea Extract
AntiseborrhoeicCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Zingiber Officinale Root Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingPEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingMethylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide Mipa, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Glycol Distearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Kaempferia Galanga Root Extract, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Saccharide Isomerate, Panthenol, Glycerin, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
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 BetaineCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is a synthetic cleansing agent, though it is derived from coconut oil.
It is used to enhance the texture of products by boosting lather and thickening the texture. As a cleanser, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is mild.
Decyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinPEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate is an emulsifier, thickener, and mild conditioner.
It's made by esterifying and pentaerythritol with stearic acid, and then attaching 150 units of ethylene oxide to make it water-friendly.
This structure lets it bridge oil and water to prevent ingredients from separating and keep formulas stable. It is also the reason it gives cosmetics a creamy feel without the greasiness.
The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be well-tolerated. Human repeated patch testing on the undiluted version has come back negative for irritation and sensitization. On top of that, its large molecule size makes skin penetration unlikely.
Usage concentration ranges from 5% in rinse-off to 1.8% in leave-on formulas.
Because this ingredient is derived from stearic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl TetrastearateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
