What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTriethanolamine
BufferingSodium Trideceth Sulfate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Trisodium Hedta
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Oleic Acid, Coconut Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Triethanolamine, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium Hedta, Phenoxyethanol, BHT, Hexylene Glycol, CI 19140, CI 17200, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingStyrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Squalane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Coconut Acid, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide
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 BetaineCoconut acid is a mixture of fatty acids obtains by hydrolyzing coconut oil and then distilling the fatty acid portion. It works as a cleansing surfactant, emollient, and emulsifier depending on the formulation.
This ingredient is not a single compound but reflects the fatty acid profile of coconut oil itself, which is about 90% saturated. The dominant fatty acid is lauric acid (44-54%) and then myristic acid (13-19%). There are small amount of caprylic, capric, palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
Human testing from CIR has shown no indication this ingredient to be a primary irritant, sensitizer, or phototoxic compound. It's also COSMOS-approved for natural and organic products.
Due to the high fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coconut AcidGlycerin (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 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 ChlorideSodium 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 Water
