What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Rubus Idaeus Extract
Skin ProtectingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Cocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Methoxycinnamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
UV AbsorberMethoxycinnamidopropyl Behendimonium Chloride
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Rubus Idaeus Extract, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamide Mea, Niacinamide, Caffeine, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Methoxycinnamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Methoxycinnamidopropyl Behendimonium Chloride, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, CI 17200, CI 15985
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
Buffering
Triethanolamine
BufferingGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
PEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingMethoxycinnamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
UV AbsorberSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
Masking
Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Water, Lactic Acid, Triethanolamine, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Caffeine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, PEG-150 Distearate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Methoxycinnamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Gluconate, CI 19140, CI 42090, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineWe don't have a description for Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate yet.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Methoxycinnamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine yet.
Parfum 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.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateThis 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 GluconateSodium Lauroyl Lactylate is the lauric acid sodium salt of lactyl lactate.
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate is an emulsifier and surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. They do this by preventing ingredients from separating, such as oils and water which do not mix naturally. Surfactants reduce surface tension, making it easier to rinse pollutants off skin.
Due to its relation to lauric acid, it may provide antimicrobial benefits.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl LactylateWater. 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
