La Roche-Posay Lipikar Lait Urea 5+ Body Balm Versus Some By Mi AHA, BHA, PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Clear Foam
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Urea
Buffering
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Parfum
Masking
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Urea, Paraffinum Liquidum, Sodium Lactate, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Glycine, Stearic Acid, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauryl Betaine
CleansingButylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water
AntimicrobialSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCalamine
AbsorbentGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Glycyrrhizinate
Skin ConditioningArtemisia Vulgaris Extract
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauryl Betaine, Butylene Glycol, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Beeswax, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Salicylic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyacetophenone, Mentha Piperita Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Calamine, Gluconolactone, Citric Acid, Potassium Glycyrrhizinate, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 StearatePalmitic 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 AcidPeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Stearic 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
