What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
C13-16 Isoparaffin
Solvent
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPropanediol
Solvent
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingLactobacillus
Skin ConditioningAlpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice
Skin ConditioningXylitol
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Surfactin
CleansingSqualane
Emollient
Urea
Buffering
Yeast Amino Acids
HumectantTrehalose
Humectant
Inositol
Humectant
Taurine
BufferingBetaine
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, C13-16 Isoparaffin, Hexylene Glycol, Propanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Lactobacillus, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice, Xylitol, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Surfactin, Squalane, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Isohexadecane, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Maltodextrin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polysorbate 80, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
Emulsifying
PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyacrylamide
Camellia Oleifera Leaf
MaskingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Sapindus Mukorossi Peel Extract
Skin ConditioningMethyl Glucose Sesquistearate
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, Camellia Oleifera Leaf, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Sapindus Mukorossi Peel Extract, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 AcidDecyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is below the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideDisodium 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 GlycerinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolWater. 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
