What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Ocimum Basilicum Oil
Masking
Salvia Officinalis Extract
Antimicrobial
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil
Astringent
Magnesium Sulfate
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
HumectantSpinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningArthrospira Platensis Extract
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-4 Rapeseedamide
Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate
EmulsifyingMethylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Parfum, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Salvia Officinalis Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Magnesium Sulfate, Retinyl Palmitate, Niacinamide, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Arthrospira Platensis Extract, Glycerin, PEG-4 Rapeseedamide, Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Sodium Hydroxide
Sodium Palmate
CleansingSodium Palm Kernelate
CleansingWater
Skin ConditioningTalc
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
PEG-7 Amodimethicone
Humectant
Trideceth-10
CleansingPalm Acid
Cleansing
Palm Kernel Acid
CleansingEtidronic Acid
Triclocarban
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Carbonate
BufferingAcetic Acid
BufferingSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Tetrasodium EDTA
Sodium O-Phenylphenate
Antimicrobial
Tetrabutyl Ammonium Bromide
AntimicrobialHydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingMethylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 11680
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water, Talc, Glycerin, Parfum, PEG-7 Amodimethicone, Trideceth-10, Palm Acid, Palm Kernel Acid, Etidronic Acid, Triclocarban, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Carbonate, Acetic Acid, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium O-Phenylphenate, Tetrabutyl Ammonium Bromide, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool, CI 77891, CI 11680
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinMethylchloroisothiazolinone, or MCI, is a synthetic preservative used to protect against the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi in water-based products.
MCI is commonly combined with methylisothiazolinone (MI) in a 3:1 ratio.
This ingredient is safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-sensitizing and concentrations must not exceed 7.5 ppm in leave-on products / 15 ppm in rinse-off products.
Unfortunately, this ingredient has a well-documented sensitization story. Studies spanning several decades have shown this ingredient + MI to cause skin irritation and allergies.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
This just means this ingredient is most likely non-sensitizing in rinse-off products unless you've been diagnosed with a contact allergy to isothiazolinones.
Learn more about MethylchloroisothiazolinoneMI is a preservative and known skin irritant. In the past, MI was used for its ability to prevent bacteria, yeast, and fungi growth in low doses.
Nowadays, you'll most likely see MI combined with Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI).
Since then, numerous studies have shown this ingredient to cause contact dermatitis, or skin irritation.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
Learn more about MethylisothiazolinoneParfum 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 ParfumWater. 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
