What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Lactamide Mea
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Cleansing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Ciclopirox Olamine
AntimicrobialCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPiroctone Olamine
Preservative
Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Phytate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Lactamide Mea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Ciclopirox Olamine, Citric Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Piroctone Olamine, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Phytate, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCitric 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 AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinPiroctone Olamine is a synthetic antifungal and preservative ingredient.
Its main job is to keep the yeast, Malassezia, in check; this yeast is linked to dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and fungal acne (a.k.a. Malassezia folliculitis).
The way it works is pretty neat:
It slips into the fungal cell and grabs onto iron ions that the yeast needs for its energy metabolism; this basically starves it out. But the full mechanism isn't 100% pinned down and some research also points it to interfering with ergosterol (a building block of the fungal cell membrane).
Besides antifungal action, it also has mild anti-inflammatory and soothing effects to help calm itchiness in the scalp.
Typical usage concentrations are low. The EU permits it to be a preservative up to 1% in rinse-off products and 0.5% in leave-on products.
Though it's generally well-tolerated, a small number of people may notice itching or irritation (as with any active).
Learn more about Piroctone OlamineWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
