What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Cocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Water
MaskingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates Copolymer
Glycolipids
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMethyl Cocoate
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalyl Acetate
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Cocamide Mea, Sodium Hydroxide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Ceramide As, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycolipids, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Methyl Cocoate, Disodium EDTA, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Parfum, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalyl Acetate, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Acrylates Copolymer
Cocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Cinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil
Masking
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil
Astringent
Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Plumeria Alba Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMagnolia Acuminata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningIris Pallida Root Extract
Masking
Rosa Damascena Extract
MaskingLinalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Laureth-2
CleansingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids
CleansingSodium Sulfate
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Cocoate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
EDTA
Disodium EDTA
Trisodium Hedta
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycol Distearate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamide Mea, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Plumeria Alba Flower Extract, Magnolia Acuminata Flower Extract, Iris Pallida Root Extract, Rosa Damascena Extract, Linalool, Limonene, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-2, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Sodium Sulfate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Citric Acid, EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Trisodium Hedta, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Sorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
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 CopolymerCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractThis ingredient is made by combining the fatty acids from coconut oil with monoethanolamine. It is an emulsifier that helps boost foam, thicken texture, and help keep ingredients together in a formula.
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 GlycerinGlycol 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 DistearateThis 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
Linalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolPhenoxyethanol 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 ChlorideSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a foaming, cleansing, and emulsifying ingredient. It is created from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. SLES is not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate. It is much milder and less likely to irritate.
SLES helps create foam in personal products. It also prevents ingredients from separating, helping to elongate the shelf life.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a type of sulfate. It can be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient if you have concerns.
Learn more about Sodium Laureth SulfateWater. 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
