What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Benzalkonium Chloride 0.1%
Antimicrobial
Sodium Tallowate
Cleansing
Sodium Palmate
CleansingSodium Cocoate
Cleansing
Sodium Palm Kernelate
CleansingWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Palm Acid
Cleansing
Palm Kernel Acid
CleansingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Tallow Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingParfum
Masking
PEG-6 Methyl Ether
SolventPentasodium Pentetate
Tetrasodium Etidronate
Emulsion StabilisingCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
CI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantBenzalkonium Chloride 0.1%, Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Palmate, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water, Glycerin, Coconut Acid, Palm Acid, Palm Kernel Acid, Stearic Acid, Tallow Acid, Sodium Chloride, Parfum, PEG-6 Methyl Ether, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 19140, Titanium Dioxide, Alcohol, CI 15985, CI 14700
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol. It is denatured, meaning made undrinkable for cosmetic use.
In formulas, it:
Is it bad for your skin?
The answer comes down to concentration. Patch and wash studies have found highly concentrated alcohol-based hand rubs (60-100%) cause less barrier disruption than washing with a basic detergent like SLS. The only measurable effect in these studies was a temporary dip in skin hydration.
Concentrations below 12-15% in leave-on cosmetics is generally well-tolerated. Concentrations above start to see increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and reduced hydration.
In concentrations about 58%, it creates temporary channels in your skin's lipid layers to become more permeable and allow other ingredients to slip through easily.
This ingredient can be up to 80% of the formula in alcohol-based perfumes.
Overall, this ingredient is probably harmless if found lower down an ingredients list but worth side-eyeing if it's high up (especially if your barrier is already struggling).
Alcohol can worsen dry skin, eczema, and oily skin, especially at higher concentrations. This is because it can increase transepidermal water loss and decrease hydration to disrupt the skin barrier.
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
True allergic contact dermatitis to ethanol is uncommon, but be sure to patch test if you have dry or sensitive skin.
Learn more about AlcoholBenzalkonium Chloride (aka BAC) is a preservative that has been around since the 1930's. It is also a surfactant that gives it mild cleansing and antistatic properties.
BAC works because it carries a positive electrical charge that attract the negative charge of microbe cells (like a magnet). Once BAC sticks to a microbe, it breaks the microbe cell's outer wall and scrambles its proteins to kill it.
The maximum usage percentage for this ingredient is 0.1% in both the EU and Chinese cosmetic regulations.
The CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be a safe antimicrobial agent in concentrations up to 0.1% and it is permitted up to 3% in rinse off hair products.
BAC can be irritating at higher concentrations but a true allergy to it is pretty rare. Be sure to patch test if you have a damaged skin barrier or just sensitive skin.
Because it's a cation, it is incompatible with anionic surfactants like SLS (they neutralize each other).
Learn more about Benzalkonium ChlorideCoconut acid is a mixture of fatty acids obtains by hydrolyzing coconut oil and then distilling the fatty acid portion. It works as a cleansing surfactant, emollient, and emulsifier depending on the formulation.
This ingredient is not a single compound but reflects the fatty acid profile of coconut oil itself, which is about 90% saturated. The dominant fatty acid is lauric acid (44-54%) and then myristic acid (13-19%). There are small amount of caprylic, capric, palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
Human testing from CIR has shown no indication this ingredient to be a primary irritant, sensitizer, or phototoxic compound. It's also COSMOS-approved for natural and organic products.
Due to the high fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coconut AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinPalm Acid isn't fungal acne safe.
We don't have a description for Palm Kernel Acid yet.
Parfum 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 ParfumChances 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 cocoate is a salt created by saponifying coconut oil. It has cleansing and emulsifying properties.
As a cleansing agent, this ingredient helps reduce the surface tension of dirt, sebum, and other residue in skin and hair. This makes them easier to be rinsed away with water.
This ingredient is derived from the fatty acids of palm kernel oil and is considered a traditional soap.
It acts as a surfactant by making it easier for water to wash away dirt, oil, and other impurities.
Sodium Palmate is a surfactant and used to saponify fatty acids. It can be derived from palm oil or synthetically created.
As a surfactant, it helps lift dirt and oil off the skin to be cleansed.
Sodium Palmate is also used during the soap-making process to saponify fatty acids. This helps soap creates bubbles without leaving residue on the skin.
This ingredient is sometimes called saponified palm oil.
Learn more about Sodium PalmateStearic 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 AcidWater. 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
