What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPalmitic Acid
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantMyristic Acid
CleansingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
CleansingStearic Acid
CleansingCeteareth-20
CleansingGlycol Distearate
EmollientGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeDisodium EDTA
Chlorphenesin
AntimicrobialAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantSalix Alba Bark Extract
AstringentGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
BleachingCitrus Grandis Fruit Extract
AstringentSaccharomyces/Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
BufferingParfum
MaskingGeraniol
PerfumingAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingWater, Palmitic Acid, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, Ceteareth-20, Glycol Distearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Allantoin, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Saccharomyces/Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Ferment Filtrate, Glycolic Acid, Parfum, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
EmollientSodium Benzoate
MaskingPEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate
SurfactantCastoryl Maleate
Skin ConditioningPEG-150 Distearate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingNiacinamide
SmoothingCucumis Melo Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Benzoate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Castoryl Maleate, PEG-150 Distearate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Niacinamide, Cucumis Melo Seed Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 DistearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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