What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningLauric Acid
CleansingSorbitol
HumectantPEG-75
HumectantMyristic Acid
CleansingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingCocamide DEA
EmulsifyingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingButylene Glycol
HumectantDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantAminocaproic Acid
Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningHouttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin ConditioningAnthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSqualane
EmollientCamphor
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
MaskingPalmitic Acid
EmollientMenthoxypropanediol
MaskingPEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate
Steareth-20
CleansingSodium Bicarbonate
AbrasivePolyquaternium-39
Disodium EDTA
Alcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
PreservativePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeWater, Lauric Acid, Sorbitol, PEG-75, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Cocamide DEA, Decyl Glucoside, Butylene Glycol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Aminocaproic Acid, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Camphor, Glycerin, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Palmitic Acid, Menthoxypropanediol, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Steareth-20, Sodium Bicarbonate, Polyquaternium-39, Disodium EDTA, Alcohol Denat., Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantGlycylglycine
Butylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingPEG-400
Emulsion StabilisingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingZinc Lauroyl Aspartate
Tea-Cocoyl Glycinate
CleansingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientHyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Citric Acid
BufferingStearic Acid
CleansingLauric Acid
CleansingPEG-32
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Polyquaternium-7
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPolyquaternium-52
Methylparaben
PreservativePropylparaben
PreservativeBHT
AntioxidantWater, Glycerin, Glycylglycine, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-400, Decyl Glucoside, Zinc Lauroyl Aspartate, Tea-Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, PEG-32, Disodium EDTA, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Polyquaternium-52, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolDecyl 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 GlucosideDisodium 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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidWater. 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