What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Rice Amino Acids
Skin Conditioning
Pisum Sativum Extract
Skin ConditioningPhosphatidylcholine
EmulsifyingFerulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Pentasodium Tetracarboxymethyl Palmitoyl Dipeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Mannitol
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-7
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Glycol Distearate, Myristic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Rice Amino Acids, Pisum Sativum Extract, Phosphatidylcholine, Ferulic Acid, Pentasodium Tetracarboxymethyl Palmitoyl Dipeptide-12, Mannitol, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Hydroxide, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-7, Arachidyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Coconut Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cocamide Mipa
Emulsifying
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-10
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Cholesterol
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cocamide Mipa, Coco-Glucoside, Propanediol, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Sodium PCA, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Allantoin, Polyquaternium-10, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Potassium Cocoate, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Titanium Dioxide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Lactic Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenonePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolSodium 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 BenzoateChances 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 ChlorideSodium 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 IsethionateTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
Water. 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 Gum
