What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingDiglycerin
HumectantBetaine
HumectantAcetamidoethoxyethanol
HumectantPEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
EmulsifyingMyristic Acid
CleansingAcrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
EmollientTriethylene Glycol
MaskingButylene Glycol
HumectantPolyglutamic Acid
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeDisodium EDTA
O-Cymen-5-Ol
AntimicrobialWater, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Diglycerin, Betaine, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Myristic Acid, Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycol Distearate, Triethylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Polyglutamic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, O-Cymen-5-Ol
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingPropanediol
SolventSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Glutamate
SurfactantCocamide Methyl Mea
SurfactantPEG-160 Sorbitan Triisostearate
CleansingPropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantMaltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantSaccharide Isomerate
HumectantSodium Chloride
MaskingOryza Sativa Extract
AbsorbentPolyquaternium-7
Glyceryl Glucoside
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Catechins
AntioxidantLactitol
HumectantMethyl Cyclodextrin
Xylitol
HumectantGlutamic Acid
HumectantChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
BufferingGluconolactone
Skin ConditioningMethyl Undecylenate
PerfumingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingTrideceth-9
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantLaurylpyridinium Chloride
AntimicrobialWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Propanediol, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Cocamide Methyl Mea, PEG-160 Sorbitan Triisostearate, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Chloride, Oryza Sativa Extract, Polyquaternium-7, Glyceryl Glucoside, Camellia Sinensis Catechins, Lactitol, Methyl Cyclodextrin, Xylitol, Glutamic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Gluconolactone, Methyl Undecylenate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trideceth-9, Disodium EDTA, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Laurylpyridinium Chloride
Reviews
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 BetaineDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It is a surfactant derived from sarcosine, and a common source is coconut oil.
As a surfactant, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate helps lift dirts, oil, and other molecules to be washed away. In leave-on products, this ingredient is used as an emulsifier. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients such as oils and waters from separating.
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is also commonly found as a foaming agent in shampoo, toothpaste, and shaving foam. It is amphiphilic, meaning it loves both water and fats.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl SarcosinateWater. 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