What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Michelia Alba Flower Oil
Masking
Artemisia Vulgaris Oil
Perfuming
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Saponaria Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSapindus Trifoliatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCarica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Mume Fruit Extract
Humectant
Malus Domestica Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBiosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Citric Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Betaine, Sodium Phytate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Panthenol, Sodium Citrate, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Allantoin, Michelia Alba Flower Oil, Artemisia Vulgaris Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf Extract, Sapindus Trifoliatus Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Malus Domestica Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Heliotropine
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyquaternium-10
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Quaternium-80
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citric Acid, Heliotropine, Panthenol, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Polyquaternium-10, Propylene Glycol, Quaternium-80, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Hydroxide
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 AcidCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolChances 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 Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.
Its main functions are to maintain the pH of a product and neutralize metal ions.
The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome; normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5).
Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Learn more about Sodium CitrateWater. 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
