What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Laureth-4
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Poloxamer 124
EmulsifyingDiallyldimethyl Ammonium Chloride
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Oil
Masking
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Calendula Officinalis Flower
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningCitral
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Cetyl Alcohol, Parfum, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Poloxamer 124, Diallyldimethyl Ammonium Chloride, Panthenol, Benzoic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Citral, Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinLaureth-23 is a nonionic surfactant made by attaching ~23 ethylene oxide units to lauryl alcohol. Lauryl alcohol is a fatty alcohol derived from coconut or palm kernel oil.
All those attached units makes it very water-loving. This is why it's used to get something oily to dissolve into something watery; it works as an emulsifier, cleansing agent, and solubilizer.
It's typically used at levels below 5% but can go up to 8.5% in hand cleansers.
Human irritation data for this ingredient looks good: a 2024 study found that Laureth-23 had the lowest irritation score of all the fatty alcohol ethoxylates tested.
Sensitization risk is also low for allergies, the CIR found:
The only notable finding was slight irritation of the clear membrane in the eyes of rabbits so that's worth knowing for eye-area products.
There is one caveat for this whole ingredient family: ethoxylated surfactants slowly oxidize when exposed to air, and it's the oxidation products, not the fresh material, that act as sensitizers.
A study that patch tested 528 dermatitis patients found stronger reactions to the oxidized surfactants; this is mostly a formulation and shelf life issue.
This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 3, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores. Human testing has proved that any finished product with this ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.
The chemistry for this ingredient is reassuring; Malassezia uses long chain fatty acids from its surroundings (C11-24) to grow, and Laureth-23 has no fatty acid for it to grab onto.
Supporting this, closely related alkyl PEG ethers like Ceteth-20 get used in Malassezia lab work as neutral carriers to disperse a separately added fatty acid (not as the food source itself).
Learn more about Laureth-23Limonene is the compound that gives citrus peel its smell.
In skincare, it shows up as a standalone fragrance ingredient or as a natural compound of citrus and other essential oils.
You'll typically see this ingredient used in very small amounts; anything above 0.001% in a leave-on product or 0.01% in a rinse-off has to be named on the label in the EU. The citrus oils that carry it sit around 0.5-1% in a finished formula.
Fresh limonene is a weak allergen; the real issue is that it slowly reacts with air and then breaks down from oxidation to create hydroperoxides (which are strong sensitizers). This is why suppliers are required to keep the peroxide value below 20 mmol.
Positive reactions in people being investigated for eczema vary:
It's worth skipping if you have a known fragrance allergy or a compromised barrier, but the risk is low for most people.
Older or long-opened products are also more likely to bother you than fresh ones due to oxidation.
Learn more about LimoneneParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolPotassium 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 SorbateWater. 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
