What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Benzoyl Peroxide 5%
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Xylitol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingPropanediol
Solvent
Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingBenzoyl Peroxide 5%, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Acetyl Glucosamine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Xylitol, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Propanediol, Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Xylitol
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Coconut Alcohol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Disodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Avena Sativa Leaf Extract
AstringentWater, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Xylitylglucoside, Propanediol, Coco-Glucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Stearic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Xylitol, Panthenol, Coconut Alcohol, Citric Acid, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Avena Sativa Leaf 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.
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is a synthetic cleansing agent, though it is derived from coconut oil.
It is used to enhance the texture of products by boosting lather and thickening the texture. As a cleanser, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is mild.
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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium 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 IsethionateSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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 GumXylitol 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
