What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Kaolin
Abrasive
Bentonite
Absorbent
Acrylates Copolymer
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCharcoal Powder
Abrasive
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Citric Acid
Buffering
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingMenthol
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Sodium Citrate
BufferingLaureth-21
CleansingCI 77266
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Kaolin, Bentonite, Acrylates Copolymer, Propanediol, Sodium Chloride, Charcoal Powder, Gluconolactone, Salicylic Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Saccharide Isomerate, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Menthol, Disodium EDTA, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Citrate, Laureth-21, CI 77266
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein
Skin Conditioning
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Rose Flower Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingPotassium Chloride
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Butylene Glycol, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Allantoin, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Rose Flower Oil, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Potassium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Beeswax, Ethylhexylglycerin, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Laurate, Glyceryl Caprylate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
