What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Benzalkonium Chloride 0.13%
AntimicrobialWater
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Glycinate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Isethionate
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Lauric Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantParfum
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeGlycol Distearate
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingPalmitic Acid
EmollientTetrasodium EDTA
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
EmulsifyingPPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide
EmulsifyingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
PreservativeCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Benzoate
MaskingGeraniol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingBenzalkonium Chloride 0.13%, Water, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Acrylates Copolymer, Lauric Acid, Glycerin, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Glycol Distearate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool
Benzalkonium Chloride 0.1%
AntimicrobialSodium Tallowate
CleansingSodium Palmate
CleansingSodium Cocoate
CleansingSodium Palm Kernelate
CleansingWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCoconut Acid
CleansingPalm Acid
CleansingPalm Kernel Acid
CleansingStearic Acid
CleansingTallow Acid
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingParfum
MaskingPEG-6 Methyl Ether
SolventPentasodium Pentetate
Tetrasodium Etidronate
Emulsion StabilisingCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic ColorantAlcohol
AntimicrobialCI 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.
Benzalkonium 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 ChlorideGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum 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 ChlorideStearic 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