What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Mipa-Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-18 Castor Oil Dioleate
Emulsifying
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Laureth-5 Carboxylic Acid
CleansingPPG-5-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Laureth-2
CleansingPolyquaternium-53
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Mipa-Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, PEG-18 Castor Oil Dioleate, Propylene Glycol, PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Laureth-5 Carboxylic Acid, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Sodium Benzoate, Laureth-2, Polyquaternium-53, Salicylic Acid, Limonene, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Citral, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Parfum, Ceramide AP
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropylamine Oxide
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
PEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-10
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPiroctone Olamine
Preservative
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Polyquaternium-7
Hydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningBenzoic Acid
Masking
Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningMentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Acetate
BufferingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Glycerin, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Polyquaternium-10, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Sodium Chloride, Piroctone Olamine, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Polyquaternium-7, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Benzoic Acid, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Mentha Piperita Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Sodium Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances 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
