What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Macadamia Seed Oil Glycereth-8 Esters
Surfactant
Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Brassica Napus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingOryza Sativa Bran Protein
Antioxidant
Phytic Acid
Oryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantWater, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil Glycereth-8 Esters, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Brassica Napus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Oryza Sativa Bran Protein, Phytic Acid, Oryza Sativa Extract, Gluconolactone, Calcium Gluconate
Rosmarinus Officinalis Water
MaskingSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Curcuma Longa Callus Conditioned Media
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Phytic Acid
Rosmarinus Officinalis Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Panthenol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Lactic Acid, Curcuma Longa Callus Conditioned Media, Sodium Benzoate, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Pentylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Phytic Acid
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 Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride yet.
Lactic Acid is another well-loved alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It is gentler than glycolic acid but still highly effective.
Its main role is to exfoliate the surface of the skin by loosening the “glue” that holds dead skin cells together. Shedding those old cells leads to smoother, softer, and more even-toned skin.
Because lactic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid, they don’t penetrate as deeply. This means they’re less likely to sting or irritate, making it a great choice for beginners or those with sensitive skin.
Like glycolic acid, it can:
Lactic acid also acts as a humectant (like hyaluronic acid). It can draw water into the skin to improve hydration and also plays a role in the skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the form of sodium lactate.
Studies show it can boost ceramide production to strengthen the skin barrier and even help balance the skin’s microbiome.
To get results, choose products with a pH between 3-4.
Lower strengths (5-12%) focus on surface exfoliation; higher strengths (12% and up) can reach deeper in the dermis (deeper, supportive layer) to improve skin texture and firmness over time.
Though it was originally derived from milk, most modern lactic acid used in skincare is vegan. It is made through non-dairy fermentation to create a bio-identical and stable form suitable for all formulations.
When lactic acid shows up near the end of an ingredient list, it usually means the brand added just a tiny amount to adjust the product’s pH.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Lactic acid is truly a gentle multitasker: it exfoliates, hydrates, strengthens, and brightens. It's a great ingredient for giving your skin a smooth, glowing, and healthy look without the harshness of stronger acids.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidPhytic Acid is a gentle AHA and antioxidant. AHAs are chemical exfoliants that help remove dead skin cells. Phytic Acid has a slight and mild exfoliating effect.
The chemical makeup makes it classified as an AHA, much like lactic acid.
In some cases, it is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water, helping to stabilize the ingredients in a product.
An interesting fact about phytic acid is that it is considered an antinutrient. People do not have the enzyme needed to properly breakdown and digest phytic acid. When ingested, phytic acid binds to minerals and prevents them from being absorbed.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Phytic AcidPotassium 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 SorbateSodium 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 Benzoate
