What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Parfum
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Polyquaternium-7
Disodium EDTA
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Glucose
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Nonapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Deoxyphytantriyl Palmitamide Mea
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Saccharomyces Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Disodium Succinate
MaskingGlutamic Acid
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Threonine
Valine
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Decyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Xylitol, Phenoxyethanol, Niacinamide, Parfum, Panthenol, Allantoin, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Polyquaternium-7, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Cocoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Benzoate, Glucose, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Nonapeptide-1, Deoxyphytantriyl Palmitamide Mea, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Saccharomyces Lysate, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Disodium Succinate, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Threonine, Valine
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
PEG-400
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lauroyl Aspartate
CleansingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-52
PEG-32
HumectantCitric Acid
Buffering
Polyquaternium-7
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Methylparaben
Preservative
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Propylparaben
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingArctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Water, Decyl Glucoside, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, PEG-400, Sodium Lauroyl Aspartate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Polyquaternium-52, PEG-32, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, Methylparaben, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Propylparaben, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Decyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideDisodium 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is a semi-synthetic polymer created from cellulose. In case you need a refresher, cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls.
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose has many uses:
- emulsifier
- create a gel-like texture
- boost foam
Lauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidPolyquaternium-7 is a light to clear colored liquid. It is commonly found in haircare products for its film-forming and anti-static properties.
According to a manufacturer, it is a non-paraben and specially developed for negatively charged surfactant systems. This makes it a great hairstyle holder and helps to improve wet hair detangling without adding buildup.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is an amino acid-based surfactant and cleaning agent. This ingredient can be derived from animals or plants. It may also be synthetically created from fatty acids of the coconut and glycine.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is a gentle surfactant. Surfactants help gather the dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away. It is a mild cleanser and naturally produces foam.
Stearic 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
