What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
PEG-400
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lauroyl Aspartate
CleansingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-52
PEG-32
HumectantCitric Acid
Buffering
Polyquaternium-7
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Methylparaben
Preservative
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Propylparaben
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingArctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Water, Decyl Glucoside, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, PEG-400, Sodium Lauroyl Aspartate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Polyquaternium-52, PEG-32, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, Methylparaben, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Propylparaben, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingHydrated Silica
Abrasive
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Sulfate
Disodium EDTA
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Parfum
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Propanediol
Solvent
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Fraxinus Rhynchophylla Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningPEG-9 Diglycidyl Ether/Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Hydrated Silica, Coconut Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Sulfate, Disodium EDTA, Niacinamide, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Propanediol, Propylene Glycol, Fraxinus Rhynchophylla Extract, Citric Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, PEG-9 Diglycidyl Ether/Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 AcidDisodium 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 GlycerinHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate is a positively charged version of hyaluronic acid.
This small change does a lot in a formula:
Regular hyaluronic acid carries a negative charge and so does the surface of your skin. This means the two repel each other and hyaluronic acid can be washed away easily. The positive charge here does the opposite: it makes the ingredient cling to your skin (also called "substantivity") so it keeps hydrating even in rinse-off products where it lays down a light, moisture-holding film.
The research backs this up too; a 2025 clinical study on a shower gel containing 0.1% positively charged hyaluronic acid increased skin hydration by 6.6% versus the baseline and 11.1% versus the placebo. This was measured 6 hours after 1 minute of contact and rinse, and on volunteers with very dry skin.
The same team's lab work showed it adhered to skin far better than unmodified hyaluronic acid (+107% vs. low molecular weight, +23% versus high molecular weight). They also found it increased two proteins tied to skin hydration, aquaporin-3 by 16% and filaggrin by 35%.
A separate 2024 study reached a similar conclusion and credited the hydrating benefits to its film-forming properties.
Both studies used the ingredient at 0.1% which also matches how much it usually shows up in products (at fractions of a percent).
One honesty note worth keeping in mind: the published research comes from the company that manufactures the ingredient so independent data would strengthen the picture. However, the results are consistent and the mechanism makes sense.
As a Hyaluronic Acid derivative, it has a well-tolerated profile and suits most skin types.
Learn more about Hydroxypropyltrimonium HyaluronateWater. 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
