What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamide DEA
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Milk Lipids
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientLactic Acid
Buffering
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Lactobacillus/Pear Juice Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningO-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningBHT
Antioxidant
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Water, Glycerin, Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Zinc PCA, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Milk Lipids, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ceramide NP, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Lactic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactobacillus/Pear Juice Ferment Filtrate, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, BHT, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Maltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantKidachi Aloe Youjyuu Matsu
EmollientArtemisia Argyi Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMannitol
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingErythritol
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingGlutamic Acid
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Sulfate
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sarcosine
Skin Conditioning
PEG-14m
Emulsion StabilisingGlycine
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate
Moisturising
BHT
Antioxidant
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Kidachi Aloe Youjyuu Matsu, Artemisia Argyi Leaf Extract, Mannitol, Potassium Hydroxide, Erythritol, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Glutamic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Sulfate, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sarcosine, PEG-14m, Glycine, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Aspartic Acid, PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate, BHT
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
BHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.
As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.
The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.
However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.
Learn more about BHTButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCentella Asiatica Extract (Centella) is derived from an herb native to Southeast Asia. It is famous for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
Centella is rich in antioxidants and amino acids, such as Madecassic Acid and Asiaticoside.
Studies show the compounds in centella help with:
The combination of all these properties makes centella effective at soothing, hydrating, and protecting the skin.
Other great components of centella include Vitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, and Asiatic Acid.
Fun fact: Centella has been used as a medicine and in food for many centuries. As a medicine, it is used to treat burns, scratches, and wounds.
Learn more about Centella Asiatica ExtractCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinChances 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
