What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingSodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1
Oleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningApigenin
Antioxidant
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract
AstringentPiroctone Olamine
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer
PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide
Emulsifying
Trideceth-5
EmulsifyingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Dextran
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Quaternium-95
UV AbsorberPPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPropanediol
Solvent
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
CI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Glycol Distearate, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Oleanolic Acid, Apigenin, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Piroctone Olamine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Trideceth-5, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Dextran, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Quaternium-95, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Chloride, Propanediol, Sodium Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, CI 16035, CI 19140
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum 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 ParfumPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Piroctone Olamine targets Malassezia, the fungus responsible for dandruff, which is why you'll find it in many anti-dandruff shampoos.
It's also water-soluble, so it blends easily into these formulas.
Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate is a cleansing ingredient. It is a surfactant, meaning it helps gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants. This helps them be rinsed away easily.
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
