What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Acrylates Copolymer
Acrylates Crosspolymer-4
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Betaine
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolyquaternium-10
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Salicylate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Propyl Gallate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium EDTA
Water, Glycine Soja Oil, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Panthenol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Polyquaternium-10, Parfum, Sodium Salicylate, Sodium Benzoate, Propyl Gallate, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA
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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
