What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Citrus Grandis Peel Extract
Astringent
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Myristic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Beeswax, Sodium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Butylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis Peel Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Sodium PCA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Maltitol
HumectantPropylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-150
HumectantSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Aspartate
CleansingLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxidePropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
