What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glucosyl Ceramide
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Lysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Collagen
Moisturising
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Damascena Flower Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Betaine
Humectant
Pelargonium Graveolens Extract
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract
Skin Protecting
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAlpha-Glucan
HumectantSodium PCA
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Pullulan
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientGlutamic Acid
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Water, Glycerin, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Ceramide NP, Glucosyl Ceramide, Arginine, Proline, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Collagen, Centella Asiatica Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Betaine, Pelargonium Graveolens Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Alpha-Glucan, Sodium PCA, PCA, Pullulan, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sucrose Stearate, Glutamic Acid, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Decyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Citric Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Phytate
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Water
MaskingSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Vitis Vinifera Juice Extract
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sorbitol
Humectant
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Passiflora Incarnata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Malic Acid
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Laurate
CleansingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Niacinamide, Vitis Vinifera Juice Extract, Lactic Acid, Sorbitol, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Passiflora Incarnata Fruit Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Malic Acid, Arginine, Tocopherol, Propanediol, Sodium Laurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineCaprylyl 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 GlycolCitric 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 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 below 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 GlycerinSodium Lauroyl Lactylate is the lauric acid sodium salt of lactyl lactate.
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate is an emulsifier and surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. They do this by preventing ingredients from separating, such as oils and water which do not mix naturally. Surfactants reduce surface tension, making it easier to rinse pollutants off skin.
Due to its relation to lauric acid, it may provide antimicrobial benefits.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl LactylateSodium 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 SarcosinateWater. 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
