What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Cocamide Methyl Mea
Surfactant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingParfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamide Methyl Mea, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Citric Acid, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
SurfactantCocoyl Glutamic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingCholesteryl Hydroxystearate
EmollientCitric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates Copolymer
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract
Emollient
Ledebouriella Divaricata Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Gastrodia Elata Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAlbizia Julibrissin Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Cocoyl Glutamic Acid, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Chloride, Cholesteryl Hydroxystearate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Panthenol, Ectoin, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Ceramide NP, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Ledebouriella Divaricata Root Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Gastrodia Elata Root Extract, Albizia Julibrissin Flower Extract, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide As, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide AP
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 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneLauryl Hydroxysultaine is a mild surfactant or cleansing ingredient that helps lift away dirt/oil, boost foam, and thicken the formula. It plays nicely with other surfactants and stays stable across a wide pH range.
Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
