What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Montmorillonite
AbsorbentButylene Glycol
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Hexametaphosphate
MaskingButylparaben
Masking
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Tetrasodium EDTA
Propylparaben
Preservative
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Rosa Gallica Flower Extract
AstringentCI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantNelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Myristic Acid, Montmorillonite, Butylene Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Glycol Stearate, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, CI 77891, Potassium Hydroxide, Parfum, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Butylparaben, Salicylic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Propylparaben, P-Anisic Acid, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Hexyl Cinnamal, Tocopherol, Propylene Glycol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Farnesol, Rosa Gallica Flower Extract, CI 17200, Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract, CI 14700
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sucrose
Humectant
Montmorillonite
AbsorbentSilybum Marianum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Gentiana Lutea Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAlgae Extract
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Zinc PCA
Humectant
PEG-3 Distearate
Emulsifying
Kaolin
Abrasive
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Behenic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, Sucrose, Montmorillonite, Silybum Marianum Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Algae Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbitol, Caffeine, Zinc PCA, PEG-3 Distearate, Kaolin, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMontmorillonite is a clay (aluminomagnesium silicate) with strong absorption properties. It has a similar pH to skin.
This clay is named after Montmorillon in France.
Learn about other types of clay, such as Kaolin, Bentonite, or Fuller's Earth.
Learn more about MontmorilloniteMyristic 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 AcidParfum 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 ParfumPotassium 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
