What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Glycol Carboxylate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Citrate
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Glycol Carboxylate, Citric Acid, Arginine, Panthenol, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Allantoin, Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Saccharide Isomerate, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Hydroxide
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
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 CopolymerAllantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCitric 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 AcidCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineDisodium 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 EDTAPhenoxyethanol 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 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
