What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingSodium Myreth Sulfate
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Glycerin
HumectantNelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Lauryl Sulfate
CleansingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingPEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate
CleansingBenzophenone-4
UV AbsorberSodium Chloride
MaskingPolyquaternium-10
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeMethylparaben
PreservativeEthylparaben
PreservativeSodium Sulfate
Geraniol
PerfumingBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingTriethanolamine
BufferingParfum
MaskingCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Myreth Sulfate, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Chloride, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Sodium Sulfate, Geraniol, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Triethanolamine, Parfum, CI 42090, CI 16035
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingAmmonium Lauryl Sulfate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Acrylates Copolymer
PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingPEG-8
HumectantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Benzophenone-4
UV AbsorberSalicylic Acid
MaskingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientPEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
EmulsifyingPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningAnthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialSodium Metabisulfite
AntioxidantWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Acrylates Copolymer, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-8, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Benzophenone-4, Salicylic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Ceramide NP, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Metabisulfite
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerBenzophenone-4 is a water-soluble chemical sunscreen.
It protects in the UV-B range, but is considered a secondary UV absorber. This means that it needs to be paired with other sunscreen ingredients to provide effective protection.
Typically, it's used in cosmetic products to protect them from deterioration caused by UV rays. This is why you'll find it in a lot of products that aren't sunscreens.
Learn more about Benzophenone-4Cocamidopropyl 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 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.
Sodium 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 HydroxideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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