What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingWater, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Parfum, Lactitol, Xylitol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Lauramidopropyl Betaine
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Water
MaskingPalm Kernelamide DEA
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sophora Japonica Bud Extract
Skin ProtectingGinkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Geranium Sibiricum Extract
HumectantChrysanthemum Indicum Flower Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Palm Kernelamide DEA, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Butylene Glycol, Sophora Japonica Bud Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Geranium Sibiricum Extract, Chrysanthemum Indicum Flower Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Panthenol, Chlorphenesin, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, CI 19140, CI 42090, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract, Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Decyl 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 not within 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 EDTAGinkgo Biloba Leaf Extract comes from the leaves of the Ginkgo tree. It has soothing and antioxidant properties.
The leaves of ginkgo contains flavonoids and terpenoids, potent antioxidants. Antioxidants may protect your skin from damage caused by external sources such as pollution.
Its soothing ability comes from a variety of compounds including biflavones, a type of flavonoid. Studies show gingko biloba has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Fun fact: This tree is native to China and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
Learn more about Ginkgo Biloba Leaf ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum 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 ParfumPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Chances 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
