What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Polyquaternium-67
Citric Acid
Buffering
Saponaria Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Seed Oil
Humectant
Barm Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Coconut Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Palmitic Acid, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Stearic Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Cocoate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Polyquaternium-67, Citric Acid, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Barm Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Disodium EDTA, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Prunus Domestica Seed Extract
EmollientSodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingLauroyl/Myristoyl Methyl Glucamide
EmollientCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSqualane
Emollient
Phytic Acid
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbic Acid
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Carbonate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Prunus Domestica Seed Extract, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Lauroyl/Myristoyl Methyl Glucamide, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycol Distearate, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Squalane, Phytic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Acacia Senegal Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sorbic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Carbonate, Tocopherol, 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.
Citric 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 AcidEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlycol Distearate serves as a pearlizing or opacifying agent in cosmetic products.
It's often included in cleansers and haircare products to give them a lustrous or shimmering appearance.
It is derived from stearic acid, a natural fatty acid commonly found in vegetable oils and animal fats.
Glycol Distearate isn't fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateChances 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 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 IsethionateStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
