What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingPCA Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Xylitol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Cocoyl Taurate, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Coconut Acid, Sodium Isethionate, PCA Glyceryl Oleate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Xylitol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butane
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Propane
Parfum
Masking
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 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 IsethionateWater. 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
