What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantStearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Dextrin
AbsorbentSodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Soluble Collagen
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-7
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, PEG-8, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Papain, Dextrin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Soluble Collagen, Palmitic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-7, Glyceryl Stearate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCocamide DEA
Emulsifying
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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 BetaineMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources.
In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPhenoxyethanol 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.
Potassium 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 AcidWater. 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
