What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Distearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Kaolin
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
PEG-14m
Emulsion StabilisingPseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Myristoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium PCA
Humectant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Sodium Lauroyl Methylaminopropionate
CleansingGlycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Salvia Officinalis Leaf
MaskingGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Lactis Proteinum
Skin ConditioningAdenosine Phosphate
Skin ConditioningGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Water, Potassium Myristoyl Glutamate, Sodium PCA, Glycine Soja Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Sodium Lauroyl Methylaminopropionate, Glycine Soja Sterols, Linoleic Acid, Salvia Officinalis Leaf, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Lactis Proteinum, Adenosine Phosphate, Glycol Distearate, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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 StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
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
