What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCoco-Betaine
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Benzoyl Peroxide 5%
Water
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylamide
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Sodium Glycolate
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDiethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPropanediol
Solvent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoyl Peroxide 5%, Water, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Glycerin, Jojoba Esters, Sodium Glycolate, Carbomer, Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Laureth-7, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
