What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Geranium Maculatum Oil
Masking
Citral
Perfuming
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil
Masking
Artemisia Absinthium Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Coco-Betaine, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Limonene, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Propylene Glycol, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Citral, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer
Tea-Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Triethanolamine
BufferingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Benzophenone-3
UV Absorber
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Chloride
MaskingZea Mays Germ Oil
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Menthol
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Polyquaternium-39
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Ammonium Sulfate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Castanea Sativa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Betaine, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Tea-Lauryl Sulfate, Triethanolamine, Coco-Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Decyl Glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Parfum, Chlorphenesin, Benzophenone-3, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Zea Mays Germ Oil, Caffeine, Menthol, Limonene, Polyquaternium-39, Tocopherol, Benzoic Acid, Ammonium Sulfate, Citric Acid, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Castanea Sativa Seed Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice, Citrus Limon Juice, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 42090, CI 14700
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 AcidCoco-Betaine is the natural version of Cocamidopropyl Betaine. It is often derived from coconuts.
Coco-Betaine is a surfactant, meaning it helps remove dirt and oil from the skin.
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 GlycerinLimonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about LimonenePhenoxyethanol 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.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
