What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPolyquaternium-7
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
PEG-90m
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantMilk Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMilk Protein Extract
Water, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cellulose Gum, Polyquaternium-7, Arachidic Acid, Disodium EDTA, PEG-90m, Sodium Benzoate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Silica, Dipropylene Glycol, Milk Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Milk Protein Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water
Masking
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-10
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Punica Granatum Extract
AstringentCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Camellia Sinensis Seed Extract
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Root Extract
Perfuming
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Capric Acid
Cleansing
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Sorbitan Olivate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyquaternium-10, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Panthenol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Root Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Capric Acid, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Allantoin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources. In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideStearic 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
