What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningMentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract
AstringentUrtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Mentha Piperita Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Sorbic Acid, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Linalool, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningSparassis Latifolia Powder
HumectantEmblica Officinalis Fruit Powder
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Dimethyl Sulfone
SolventGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Water, Sparassis Latifolia Powder, Emblica Officinalis Fruit Powder, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Dimethyl Sulfone, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineDecyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChlorideThis essential oil is steam-distilled from peppermint leaves, also known as peppermint oil. It's mainly used for scent in skincare but also provides that signature "cooling" sensation.
Peppermint oil is a "feels amazing" ingredient until it doesn't.
At higher doses or for those with sensitive skin, methol-type cooling can quickly turn into burning/irritation. It can also trigger irritant dermatitis or even allergic contact dermatitis. In a large patch-test dataset, peppermint oil had a low but positive rate for this.
In cosmetics, Cosmetic Safety Reviews (CIR) concludes that peppermint oil is safe to use when formulated to be non-sensitizing with some restrictions; for instance, pulegone, a naturally occurring component of peppermint oil, should not exceed 1%.
Since peppermint oil contains fragrance allergens such as limonene, linalool, and menthol, it can be sensitizing for those with rosacea, eczema, a broken skin barrier, or just sensitive skin in general.
In Japan, this ingredient is known as Hakka Yu.
Learn more about Mentha Piperita OilPhenoxyethanol 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.
Sorbic Acid is a preservative. It is the most commonly used food preservative in the world.
Sorbic Acid is a natural antibiotic and highly effective at preventing the growth of fungus. It is less effective against bacteria.
Potassium Sorbate, another commonly-used preservative, is the potassium salt of Sorbic Acid.
Sorbic Acid may worsen eczema. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
Learn more about Sorbic AcidWater. 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
