What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Magnesium Aluminometasilicate
AbsorbentButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Juglans Regia Shell Powder
Abrasive
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTriethanolamine
BufferingPrunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Water, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Magnesium Aluminometasilicate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Juglans Regia Shell Powder, Sorbitan Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Triethanolamine, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrated Silica
Abrasive
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Triethanolamine
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineDisodium 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 EDTAGlycerin (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.
Chances 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 ChlorideTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateTriethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
