Method Bar Soap Versus Jo Malone London Soap
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Sodium Palmate
CleansingSodium Palm Kernelate
CleansingWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Palm Acid
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Palm Kernel Acid
CleansingPaeonia Suffruticosa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningIron Oxides
Rosa Centifolia Flower Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Palmate
CleansingSodium Palm Kernelate
CleansingWater
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Palm Acid
Cleansing
Palm Kernel Acid
CleansingPolyquaternium-7
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
BHT
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Tetrasodium Etidronate
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water, Parfum, Methyl Gluceth-20, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Palm Acid, Palm Kernel Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Eugenol, Hydroxycitronellal, Citric Acid, BHT, Tocopherol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterGlycerin (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 GlycerinPalm Acid isn't fungal acne safe.
We don't have a description for Palm Kernel Acid 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 ParfumChances 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 ChlorideThis ingredient is derived from the fatty acids of palm kernel oil and is considered a traditional soap.
It acts as a surfactant by making it easier for water to wash away dirt, oil, and other impurities.
Sodium Palmate is a surfactant and used to saponify fatty acids. It can be derived from palm oil or synthetically created.
As a surfactant, it helps lift dirt and oil off the skin to be cleansed.
Sodium Palmate is also used during the soap-making process to saponify fatty acids. This helps soap creates bubbles without leaving residue on the skin.
This ingredient is sometimes called saponified palm oil.
Learn more about Sodium PalmateWater. 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
