What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
PPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Fish Oil
Skin Conditioning
Water, Alcohol Denat., Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Parfum, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Fish Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cellulose
Absorbent
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Lauramide Mipa
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTea-Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water
MaskingSilica
Abrasive
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyisopropanol
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBenzophenone-2
MaskingButylparaben
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Citrus Limon Fruit Oil
Astringent
Linalool
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
CI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cellulose, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauramide Mipa, Glycol Distearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Parfum, Phenoxyisopropanol, Sodium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzophenone-2, Butylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Methylisothiazolinone, Chlorphenesin, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, BHT, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citrus Limon Fruit Oil, Linalool, Geraniol, CI 15985
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Salicylate is a solvent and fragrance additive. It is an ester of benzyl alcohol and salicylic acid. This ingredient can be naturally found in some plants and plant extracts.
In fragrances, Benzyl Salicylate may be a solvent or a fragrance component. In synthetic musk scents, it is used as a solvent. For floral fragrances such as lilac and jasmine, it is used as a fragrance component. The natural scent of Benzyl Salicylate is described as "lightly-sweet, slightly balsamic".
While Benzyl Salicylate has been associated with contact dermatitis and allergies, emerging studies show it may not be caused by this ingredient alone.
However, this ingredient is often used with fragrances and other components that may cause allergies. It is still listed as a known allergen in the EU. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Another study from 2021 shows Benzyl Salicylate may have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Benzyl SalicylateGlycerin (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 GlycerinLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
