What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantPPG-8-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingSulfuric Acid
BufferingMilk Ferment
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
SurfactantLauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Silk Powder
Skin ConditioningGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, PEG-8, PPG-8-Ceteth-20, Sulfuric Acid, Milk Ferment, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Lauroyl Lysine, Silk Powder, Glycol Distearate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glyceryl Stearate, Alcohol, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben
Saposhnikovia Divaricata Root Extract
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Lauramide DEA
Surfactant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientOzokerite
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Chloride
MaskingStearyl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Palm Acid
Capric Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Saposhnikovia Divaricata Root Extract, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Water, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glycol Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, PEG-100 Stearate, Lauramide DEA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ozokerite, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Beeswax, Sodium Chloride, Stearyl Stearate, Hydrogenated Palm Acid, Capric Acid, Oleic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Parfum, Linalool, Limonene
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 is an emulsifier and emollient that adds a "pearly" appearance to formulations.
That lustrous look you see in many shampoos is due to this ingredient: when cooled, it crystallizes into small platelets that reflect light to give products that rich, shimmering look.
This ingredient is considered safe at present practices of use and concentration and repeated insult patch test with 50% Glycol Distearate on 125 subjects found no evidence of skin irritation, hypersensitivity, or acute toxicity.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.1-10%.
Because it's an ester of stearic acid, it falls into the range that Malassezia likes to metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMyristic Acid, aka tetradecanoic acid, is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in coconut oil and palm oil.
In skincare, it is an:
Research indicates that this ingredient posts a low risk of irritation and sensitization.
Since myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid, it falls within the range that Malassezia can metabolize, and therefore not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic Acid
