What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamide DEA
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Trideceth-9
EmulsifyingGlucose
Humectant
Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Zinc PCA, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trideceth-9, Glucose, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Trehalose
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingArtemisia Capillaris Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSalicylic Acid
Masking
PEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-7
Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Propanediol
Solvent
Amylopectin
Dextrin
AbsorbentXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Sodium PCA, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Benzoate, Trehalose, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract, Salicylic Acid, PEG-150 Distearate, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-7, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Sorbate, Propanediol, Amylopectin, Dextrin, Xanthan Gum
Ingredients 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 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 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 GlycerinPotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbatePropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
