What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingFicus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Acetyl Heptapeptide-4
Humectant
Dextran
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Skin Conditioning
Levulinic Acid
Perfuming
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Carbomer, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, Dextran, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It is a surfactant derived from sarcosine, and a common source is coconut oil.
As a surfactant, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate helps lift dirts, oil, and other molecules to be washed away. In leave-on products, this ingredient is used as an emulsifier. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients such as oils and waters from separating.
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is also commonly found as a foaming agent in shampoo, toothpaste, and shaving foam. It is amphiphilic, meaning it loves both water and fats.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl SarcosinateTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
Water. 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
