What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Charcoal Powder
Abrasive
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Citrus Medica Peel Oil
Rose Flower Oil
Masking
Santalum Album Oil
Masking
Cymbopogon Martini Oil
Masking
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialWater, Myristic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cocamide Mea, Charcoal Powder, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Potassium Cocoate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sorbitan Olivate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Citrus Medica Peel Oil, Rose Flower Oil, Santalum Album Oil, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cetearyl Olivate
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Powder
Abrasive
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Polyquaternium-7
Coptis Japonica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Dextrin
AbsorbentAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingOleic Acid
Emollient
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Artemisia Capillaris Extract
Citric Acid
Buffering
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Succinic Acid
BufferingAsiaticoside
Antioxidant
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Cetearyl Olivate, Decyl Glucoside, Salicylic Acid, Potassium Cocoate, Sorbitan Olivate, Allantoin, Glyceryl Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Powder, Palmitic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Disodium EDTA, Dextrin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Oleic Acid, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Artemisia Capillaris Extract, Citric Acid, Gluconolactone, Succinic Acid, Asiaticoside, Madecassoside, 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.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCentella Asiatica Extract (Centella) is derived from an herb native to Southeast Asia. It is famous for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
Centella is rich in antioxidants and amino acids, such as Madecassic Acid and Asiaticoside.
Studies show the compounds in centella help with:
The combination of all these properties makes centella effective at soothing, hydrating, and protecting the skin.
Other great components of centella include Vitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, and Asiatic Acid.
Fun fact: Centella has been used as a medicine and in food for many centuries. As a medicine, it is used to treat burns, scratches, and wounds.
Learn more about Centella Asiatica ExtractDisodium 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 GlycerinMyristic 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 AcidThis ingredient is the potassium salt of coconut acid. Coconut acid is created by mixing fatty acids from coconut oil.
It is an emulsifier, surfactant, and cleanser. According to a manufacturer, it contains glycerin.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is an amino acid-based surfactant and cleaning agent. This ingredient can be derived from animals or plants. It may also be synthetically created from fatty acids of the coconut and glycine.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is a gentle surfactant. Surfactants help gather the dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away. It is a mild cleanser and naturally produces foam.
Potassium 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 HydroxideSorbitan Olivate is created from the fatty acids in olive oil and sorbitol.
This ingredient is an oil in water emulsifier. It helps stabilize a product by preventing oils and waters from separating. Sorbitan Olivate also helps hydrate the skin.
This ingredient is also known as part of Olivem 1000, with Cetearyl Olivate being the other part.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps preserve the natural microbiome of skin. Having a healthy microbiome helps keep our skin healthy and protects against harmful bacteria.
Please note, having a healthy microbiome is different from fungal acne; a healthy microbiome includes small amounts of yeast that normally live on your skin without causing problems.
Fungal acne happens when one type of yeast (Malassezia) grows out of control. This is usually because it's feeding on certain oils or fatty acids. Due to the olive oil base, this ingredient may feed that yeast, so it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Sorbitan OlivateStearic 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
