What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Lauryl Sulfate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantDecyl Glucoside
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Niacinamide
SmoothingLactic Acid
BufferingCoco-Glucoside
CleansingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientParfum
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeBetaine
HumectantPolyquaternium-7
Castoryl Maleate
Skin ConditioningBis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
EmollientPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMica
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
ChelatingLimonene
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingBenzyl Salicylate
PerfumingBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingBenzyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCitral
PerfumingCI 14720
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Acrylates Copolymer, Niacinamide, Lactic Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Betaine, Polyquaternium-7, Castoryl Maleate, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Ethylhexylglycerin, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, CI 14720
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantDecyl Glucoside
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingCoco-Betaine
CleansingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Gluconate
ChelatingLimonene
PerfumingDenatonium Benzoate
MaskingLeptospermum Petersonii Oil
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantIngredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineDecyl 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 GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinLimonene is the compound that gives citrus peel its smell.
In skincare, it shows up as a standalone fragrance ingredient or as a natural compound of citrus and other essential oils.
You'll typically see this ingredient used in very small amounts; anything above 0.001% in a leave-on product or 0.01% in a rinse-off has to be named on the label in the EU. The citrus oils that carry it sit around 0.5-1% in a finished formula.
Fresh limonene is a weak allergen; the real issue is that it slowly reacts with air and then breaks down from oxidation to create hydroperoxides (which are strong sensitizers). This is why suppliers are required to keep the peroxide value below 20 mmol.
Positive reactions in people being investigated for eczema vary:
It's worth skipping if you have a known fragrance allergy or a compromised barrier, but the risk is low for most people.
Older or long-opened products are also more likely to bother you than fresh ones due to oxidation.
Learn more about LimoneneWater. 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