What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Kaolin
Abrasive
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acrylates Copolymer
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Magnesium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Kaolin, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Magnesium Gluconate, Squalane, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Panthenol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Inonotus Obliquus Extract
Skin ConditioningTremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion Stabilising
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Withania Somnifera Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningFructose
Humectant
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantBenzoic Acid
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Propanediol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Polysorbate 60, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Citric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Ceramide NP, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fructose, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Chloride, Caramel, Benzoic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl 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 AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateGlycol Distearate serves as a pearlizing or opacifying agent in cosmetic products.
It's often included in cleansers and haircare products to give them a lustrous or shimmering appearance.
It is derived from stearic acid, a natural fatty acid commonly found in vegetable oils and animal fats.
Glycol Distearate isn't 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 PanthenolChances 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 ChlorideTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
Water. 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
