What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Laureth-4
Emulsifying
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Bromelain
Skin Conditioning
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Propanediol, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Laureth-4, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Bromelain
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Butane
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientIsobutane
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Propane
Shea Butter Ethyl Esters
Emollient
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingGlyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientSodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingBeta Vulgaris Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract
Masking
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Olus Oil
Emollient
Camelina Sativa Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Malic Acid
Buffering
Sanguisorba Officinalis Root Extract
CleansingHydrolyzed Corn Starch
HumectantAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
PEG-14m
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Butane, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Isobutane, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Propane, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Glycol Distearate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Olus Oil, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, P-Anisic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Malic Acid, Sanguisorba Officinalis Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Allantoin, Panthenol, Glycerin, Citric Acid, PEG-14m, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Hydroxide, 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.
This ingredient is a mild surfactant made by sticking glucose onto a blend of fatty acids.
It does two jobs because it has a sugar head that loves water and a fatty tail that loves oil:
Typical use levels range from 10-20% in cleansers and 15-30% in shower products.
Once on your skin, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down into glucose and the parent fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe because its fatty alcohol portion sits outside the Malassezia yeast's metabolization range.
Learn more about Caprylyl/Capryl GlucosideCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is a synthetic cleansing agent, though it is derived from coconut oil.
It is used to enhance the texture of products by boosting lather and thickening the texture. As a cleanser, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is mild.
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 DistearatePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateWater. 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
