What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDisiloxane
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingButylene Glycol
HumectantPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Phenoxyethanol
PreservativeHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMannan
Caramel
Cosmetic ColorantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialIlex Aquifolium Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningIlex Paraguariensis Leaf Extract
PerfumingMorus Alba Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningNasturtium Officinale Extract
PerfumingNepeta Cataria Extract
TonicOlea Europaea Leaf Extract
PerfumingPinus Densiflora Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPlantago Asiatica Extract
Skin ConditioningPortulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin ConditioningSaponaria Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningSpinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningTrifolium Pratense Extract
Skin ConditioningAgave Americana Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningArtemisia Annua Extract
MaskingDisodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningGlycosaminoglycans
EmollientCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantLimonene
PerfumingParfum
MaskingWater, Disiloxane, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Lauryl Glucoside, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Mannan, Caramel, Potassium Hydroxide, Allantoin, Hexylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ilex Aquifolium Leaf Extract, Ilex Paraguariensis Leaf Extract, Morus Alba Leaf Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Extract, Nepeta Cataria Extract, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Pinus Densiflora Leaf Extract, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Saponaria Officinalis Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Trifolium Pratense Extract, Agave Americana Leaf Extract, Althaea Officinalis Leaf Extract, Artemisia Annua Extract, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide NP, Glycosaminoglycans, CI 42090, CI 19140, Limonene, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Lauryl Betaine
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingPEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
EmulsifyingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantTromethamine
BufferingPolyquaternium-22
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Theobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingOpuntia Ficus-Indica Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantCamellia Japonica Seed Oil
EmollientMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
EmollientCitric Acid
BufferingVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientOpuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantPotassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantCitrus Paradisi Peel Oil
MaskingCedrus Atlantica Bark Oil
MaskingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingElettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
MaskingSantalum Album Oil
MaskingLitsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
MaskingPelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
MaskingLimonene
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingWater, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Lauryl Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Decyl Glucoside, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tromethamine, Polyquaternium-22, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Disodium EDTA, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Niacinamide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract, Butylene Glycol, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Santalum Album Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerButylene 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 GlycolThis ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Disodium 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 GlycerinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolLauryl Glucoside sugar- and lipid-based cleansing agent. It is created from glucose and lauryl alcohol.
This ingredient is a surfactant, making it easier to rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants away.
A British study found lauryl glucoside to cause skin sensitivity for some people. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Other names for this ingredient include "Lauryl Polyglucose", "Lauryl glycoside", and "D-Glucopyranoside".
Learn more about Lauryl GlucosideLimonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about LimonenePotassium 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.
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 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