What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
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
Surfactant
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 ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlyceryl Isostearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-8
HumectantStearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glyceryl Isostearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-8, Stearic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, C14-22 Alcohols, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Decylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycolDisodium 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 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 StearatePeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Phenoxyethanol 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 HydroxideStearic 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
