What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingDimethiconol
Emollient
Tea-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate
CleansingPolyquaternium-47
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cocamide DEA
Emulsifying
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Wheat Starch
Skin ConditioningGlycol Distearate
Emollient
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tetrasodium EDTA
Tussilago Farfara Leaf Extract
AstringentUrtica Dioica Extract
AstringentEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentAchillea Millefolium Extract
CleansingThymus Vulgaris Extract
Perfuming
Betula Alba Bark Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Menthol
Masking
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Dimethiconol, Tea-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Polyquaternium-47, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide DEA, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch, Glycol Distearate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Parfum, Panthenol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tussilago Farfara Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Menthol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
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 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 BetainePEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate is an emulsifier, thickener, and mild conditioner.
It's made by esterifying and pentaerythritol with stearic acid, and then attaching 150 units of ethylene oxide to make it water-friendly.
This structure lets it bridge oil and water to prevent ingredients from separating and keep formulas stable. It is also the reason it gives cosmetics a creamy feel without the greasiness.
The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be well-tolerated. Human repeated patch testing on the undiluted version has come back negative for irritation and sensitization. On top of that, its large molecule size makes skin penetration unlikely.
Usage concentration ranges from 5% in rinse-off to 1.8% in leave-on formulas.
Because this ingredient is made from stearic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. Stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate.
Learn more about PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl TetrastearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Propylene 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 Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It is a surfactant derived from sarcosine, and a common source is coconut oil.
As a surfactant, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate helps lift dirts, oil, and other molecules to be washed away. In leave-on products, this ingredient is used as an emulsifier. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients such as oils and waters from separating.
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is also commonly found as a foaming agent in shampoo, toothpaste, and shaving foam. It is amphiphilic, meaning it loves both water and fats.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl SarcosinateTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
Water. 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
