What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Betaine, Saccharide Isomerate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Betaine, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Allantoin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Laurate, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCitric 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 AcidCocamidopropyl 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 GlycerinThis is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.
It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.
Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.
Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.
Learn more about Sodium GluconateTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
