What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Surfactant
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Houttuynia Cordata Powder
Skin ConditioningMadecassoside
Antioxidant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Dextrin
AbsorbentHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPotassium Benzoate
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Cocoate, Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Powder, Madecassoside, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Gluconolactone, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Dextrin, Hexylene Glycol, Potassium Benzoate, Hydroxyacetophenone
Benzoyl Peroxide 4%
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Propanediol
Solvent
Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Tetrasodium EDTA
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Benzoyl Peroxide 4%, Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Propanediol, Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, Carbomer, Benzoic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycolic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid comes from salicylic acid, the famous acne-fighting BHA.
It usually goes by a more common name of LHA, or lipohydroxy acid.
Like salicylic acid, this ingredient is a chemical exfoliant that can help break down the oil in your pores and reduce inflammation.
Though studies for LHA do show it to be less effective than salicylic acid. To be fair, salicylic acid is the reigning monarch of acne treatments.
However, a study from 2009 found LHA to be comparable to BPO, making it a good alternative for people with sensitive skin. Another study of 14 patients found a significant decrease in comedones after using LHA.
Another pro of LHA? It is less irritating than salicylic acid due to its large molecule size.
Large molecules cannot penetrate skin as well, so they are gentler on the skin. LHA is much less penetrative than salicylic acid.
An in-vitro study (not done on a living organism) found only 6% of LHA penetrated past the statum corneum compared to 58% of salicylic acid. An in-vivo (done on a living organism) analysis revealed ~17% of LHA was still present in the top layer of skin after 4 days, versus ~9% of salicylic acid.
Interestingly, a study from 2008 found LHA comparable to another famous acid, glycolic acid.
This study found about 10% of LHA is as effective as 20-50% of glycolic acid in treating hyperpigmentation and fine-lines.
Hydroxy acids have been found to stimulate skin protein, lipids, and thermal thickening. This may have anti-aging benefits.
Learn more about Capryloyl Salicylic AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
