What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Isethionate
CleansingSodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxystearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingUndecylenoyl Glycine
CleansingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauric Acid, Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxystearic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Parfum, Citric Acid, Capryloyl Glycine, Undecylenoyl Glycine, Sodium Gluconate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Coco-Glucoside, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citric Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Benzoate, Glyceryl Oleate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Panthenol, Ceramide NP, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
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 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 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateThis ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChlorideSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances 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
