What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Polyquaternium-10
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTetrasodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningArginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Citric Acid, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Coco-Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Polyquaternium-10, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glutamic Acid, Phytosterols, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLauryl Betaine
CleansingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Betaine Salicylate
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Lauryl Betaine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Chloride, Decylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Gluconolactone, Betaine Salicylate, Citric 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.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is a modified starch used to help thicken a product.
It is also used in foods.
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate is a cleansing agent. It can be naturally derived or synthetically-created.
As a surfactant, it helps clean your skin by gathering dirt, oil, and other pollutants to be rinsed away more easily.
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate is the sodium salt from the lauric acid of glutamic acid.
It is a surfactant and helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants from your skin so they may be washed away easily.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
