What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingSodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingParfum
Masking
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract
AstringentAcetyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dextran
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide
Emulsifying
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Parfum, Glycol Distearate, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Dextran, Butylene Glycol, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lactic Acid, Limonene, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Acrylates Copolymer
Lauramidopropyl Betaine
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Pisum Sativum Extract
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract
AstringentLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Solanum Lycopersicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Adansonia Digitata Oil
Emollient
Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Caryocar Brasiliense Fruit Oil
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride
Dextran
Polyquaternium-7
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Vanillyl Butyl Ether
MaskingPolyquaternium-10
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingCoconut Acid
Cleansing
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Acrylates Copolymer, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Glycereth-26, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pisum Sativum Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Solanum Lycopersicum Seed Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Adansonia Digitata Oil, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Caryocar Brasiliense Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Glycerin, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Dextran, Polyquaternium-7, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Vanillyl Butyl Ether, Polyquaternium-10, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Coconut Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, 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.
This biometic peptide is designed to support hair growth.
According to a manufacturer, it stimulates hair growth by:
The manufacturer has found combining this ingredient with red clover extract (Capixyl) boosted benefits. Not only does it enforce the scalp's extracellular matrix, it also inhibits the enzyme that creates DHT, a hormone that leads to hair loss.
While this ingredient is promising, more research is still needed to confirm its full effectiveness.
Learn more about Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3Benzoic Acid is an organic acid that shows up in cosmetics as a preservative. It helps keep a product from spoiling by holding back the growth of yeast, mold, and some bacteria.
This ingredient also functions as a fragrance ingredient that helps mask the unpleasant scent of other ingredients.
The way it works is worth understanding; benzoic acid works when the formula is acidic. It is able to sneak into a microbe's cell and mess up how it functions to stop it from growing in an acidic product.
However, the acid switches to an inactive form and stops working if a product isn't acidic enough (above ~5 pH). This is why you'll often see it in low pH products or teamed up with other preservatives to cover the gap.
Safety wise, it's one of the better studied preservatives out there.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%.
A large international review found this ingredient had no effects on the human body and had low irritation potential.
Just so you know, real world use is usually much lower than the 5% ceiling (usually 1% of less).
The EU caps it at 2.5% in rinse-off products, 1.7% in oral care, and 0.5% in leave-on products.
One thing worth mentioning (it's nothing to worry about): some people get a little stinging or flushing where they apply it. This isn't a true allergy; it's a temporary and harmless reaction. This is the same kind of mild tingle you might notice from sorbic acid.
Learn more about Benzoic AcidButylene 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 GlycolDextran is a sugar (polysaccharide) with skin hydrating properties.
Fun fact: Louis Pasteur first discovered this ingredient as a microbial product in wine.
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 GlycerinGlycol Distearate is an emulsifier and emollient that adds a "pearly" appearance to formulations.
That lustrous look you see in many shampoos is due to this ingredient: when cooled, it crystallizes into small platelets that reflect light to give products that rich, shimmering look.
This ingredient is considered safe at present practices of use and concentration and repeated insult patch test with 50% Glycol Distearate on 125 subjects found no evidence of skin irritation, hypersensitivity, or acute toxicity.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.1-10%.
Because it's an ester of stearic acid, it falls into the range that Malassezia likes to metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate is a cleansing ingredient. It is a surfactant, meaning it helps gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants. This helps them be rinsed away easily.
This extract comes from the flower more commonly known as red clover.
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
