What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-32
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-7
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, PEG-32, Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-7, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Ceramide AP, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Benzoate, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Polyquaternium-67
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Sodium Acetate
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Decyl Glucoside, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Glycol Distearate, Potassium Cocoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-67, Glyceryl Caprylate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Acetate, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Madecassoside
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 AcidDisodium 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateGlycol Distearate is an emulsifier and emollient that adds a "pearly" appearance to formulations.
That lustrous look you see in many shampoos is due to this ingredient: when cooled, it crystallizes into small platelets that reflect light to give products that rich, shimmering look.
This ingredient is considered safe at present practices of use and concentration and repeated insult patch test with 50% Glycol Distearate on 125 subjects found no evidence of skin irritation, hypersensitivity, or acute toxicity.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.1-10%.
Because it's an ester of stearic acid, it falls into the range that Malassezia likes to metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateWater. 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
