What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Butylparaben
Masking
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Propylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Potassium Hydroxide (also known as potash) is a strong alkaline ingredient that does one job: it nudges a product's pH up so the whole formula lands in a skin-friendly range.
It's also the base that turns oils into liquid soap during the soap making process.
An expert safety panel reviewed it and found it safe when formulations are made to be non-irritating.
As a pH adjuster, it's typically used well under 1% though regulatory caps go much higher: 5% in nail cuticle removers and 2-4.5% in hair straighteners.
Though there is some concern for irritation from raw or high pH material, a well-balanced formula will be a non-issue for the vast majority of people.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideWater. 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
