What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Emulsifying
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Hydrated Silica
Abrasive
Phenylethyl Resorcinol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
HumectantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingUrea
Buffering
Yeast Amino Acids
HumectantTrehalose
Humectant
Inositol
Humectant
Taurine
BufferingBetaine
Humectant
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSerenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzophenone-4
UV Absorber
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-8
HumectantBenzalkonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Parfum
Masking
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Lactic Acid, Hydrated Silica, Phenylethyl Resorcinol, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Sodium Hydroxide, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Seed Extract, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Benzophenone-4, Butylene Glycol, PEG-8, Benzalkonium Chloride, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract
HumectantUrea
Buffering
Yeast Amino Acids
HumectantTrehalose
Humectant
Inositol
Humectant
Taurine
BufferingBetaine
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Beta-Glucan, Ceramide NP, Phaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Lactobacillus Ferment, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinInositol is a sugar alcohol naturally found in the human body. Our bodies use this ingredient in the process of growing new cells.
Studies show inositol to be a key component for keratinocyte growth.
Keratinocytes make up the majority of the outermost layer of skin. These cells protect our skin from UV exposure, infection, and help keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient is also considered a humectant. Humectants help hydrate the skin by drawing moisture to it.
Learn more about InositolSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateTaurine is an amino acid that is found in human skin as an osmolyte. An osmolyte is a small molecule that cells use to hold onto water and stay comfortable under stressful conditions.
In skin cell studies, taurine accumulation helps cells maintain hydration in low-humidity environments. Some dermatology research on osmolytes also link taurine to barrier support. Research also suggests that osomolyte systems can be disrupted in photoaged skin.
One animal study reported tropical taurine improved barrier function and collagen signaling, while another one found oral taurine can lessen UVB-related damage. It is important to note that evidence for taurine in skincare is mostly preclinical, meaning further studies are needed.
Learn more about TaurineTrehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.
In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.
Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.
Learn more about TrehaloseUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan GumWe don't have a description for Yeast Amino Acids yet.
