What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
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Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantSodium Chloride
MaskingAcrylates Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
PreservativeCocamide Mipa
EmulsifyingSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSodium Benzoate
MaskingGlycol Distearate
EmollientParfum
MaskingPolyquaternium-10
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Cocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientCoco-Glucoside
CleansingPolyquaternium-7
Polyquaternium-11
Benzyl Alcohol
PerfumingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingGlycol Stearate
EmollientLinalool
PerfumingSodium Sulfite
PreservativeTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantCoconut Acid
CleansingIsopropanolamine
BufferingTocopherol
AntioxidantHydrolyzed Keratin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Cocamide Mipa, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Benzoate, Glycol Distearate, Parfum, Polyquaternium-10, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glyceryl Oleate, Coco-Glucoside, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-11, Benzyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Hexyl Cinnamal, Glycol Stearate, Linalool, Sodium Sulfite, Tocopheryl Acetate, Coconut Acid, Isopropanolamine, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Butylene Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingSodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingSodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
CleansingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningParfum
MaskingSodium Methyl Isethionate
EmulsifyingBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingLauric Acid
CleansingPPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningCoco-Glucoside
CleansingPhenethyl Benzoate
EmollientGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
MaskingGlycol Distearate
EmollientCitric Acid
BufferingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Polyquaternium-2
Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate
CleansingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Laurate
CleansingAmodimethicone
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningC11-15 Pareth-15
EmulsifyingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantLaureth-9
EmulsifyingCitronellol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingTrideceth-12
EmulsifyingBixa Orellana Seed Extract
MaskingWater, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate, Panthenol, Parfum, Sodium Methyl Isethionate, Benzyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Lauric Acid, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Coco-Glucoside, Phenethyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Oleate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Glycol Distearate, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polyquaternium-2, Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Laurate, Amodimethicone, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, C11-15 Pareth-15, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Laureth-9, Citronellol, Geraniol, Trideceth-12, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract
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Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCitric 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 AcidCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideThis ingredient is a cleansing agent, surfactant, and foam booster. It considered an alternative to traditional sulfates (Sulfosuccinate) and is allowed in "sulfate-free" products.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient is mild and can be used in baby and bath options.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Oleate is the monoester of glycerin and oleic acid. It is a skin-conditioning emollient that also helps form emulsions.
What makes glyceryl oleate special is its "re-fatting" effect.
When you wash your hair and skin with a surfactant-based cleanser, the surfactants grab onto everything. This includes your skin's natural lipids, or the fats that live in your skin barrier and sebum. Once you rinse these surfactants away, it leaves your skin feeling tight, dry, and clean (in a not-good way).
Re-fatting is essentially putting some of these lipids back. Glyceryl oleate deposits a thin layer of emollient lipids back on the skin or hair surface reduce some of the barrier damage.
Also, glyceryl oleate isn't a foreign molecule to your skin. It's chemically identical to something your skin already produces and manages naturally. This is why it tends to be well-tolerated with low risk of irritation.
Typical use levels range from 0.5-5%.
Glyceryl Oleate has a function of "perfuming" in the CosIng database. This just means that the ingredient has some scent character that can contribute to the product's overall smell.
The scent of this ingredient is described as "waxy".
As an ester of oleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. This is because oleic acid falls into the carbon-chain length that Malassezia can use as a substrate.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateGlycol Distearate is an emulsifier and emollient that adds a "pearly" appearance to formulations.
That lustrous look you see in many shampoos is due to this ingredient: when cooled, it crystallizes into small platelets that reflect light to give products that rich, shimmering look.
This ingredient is considered safe at present practices of use and concentration and repeated insult patch test with 50% Glycol Distearate on 125 subjects found no evidence of skin irritation, hypersensitivity, or acute toxicity.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.1-10%.
Because it's an ester of stearic acid, it falls into the range that Malassezia likes to metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateSodium 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