What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrated Silica
Abrasive
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
CI 74260
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Potassium Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, DMDM Hydantoin, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrated Silica, Butylene Glycol, Parfum, CI 74260
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Lauramidopropyl Betaine
CleansingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
PEG-6 Almond Glycerides
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
PEG-20
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingNordihydroguaiaretic Acid
Antioxidant
Oleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Butylene Glycol, Betaine, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Niacinamide, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc PCA, Centella Asiatica Extract, PEG-6 Almond Glycerides, Propylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, PEG-20, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ascorbic Acid, Carbomer, Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, Oleanolic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 GlycerinPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
