What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glucoside
CleansingGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water
MaskingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate
Moisturising
Phytic Acid
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glucoside, Gluconolactone, Citric Acid, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Parfum, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Zinc PCA, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate, Phytic Acid, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Zinc Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Disodium Capryloyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSulfur
Antiseborrhoeic
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
CI 75120
Cosmetic ColorantButylene Glycol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Water, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Glycerin, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Zinc Coco-Sulfate, Disodium Capryloyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sulfur, Zinc PCA, Sodium Chloride, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, CI 75120, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum
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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. 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 WaterZinc PCA is a clever two-in-one molecule: the zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA).
Think of it as two useful things bonded together; the PCA half is one of your skin's own natural moisturizing factors (NMF) so it helps hold water in the upper layers. On the other hand, the zinc half does the heavy lifting on oil and bacteria.
The zinc part slows down an enzyme that turns testosterone into DHT, the hormone that tells your oil glands to pump out more sebum. Less of that signal means less oil. It also gently fights acne-causing bacteria and soothes redness/irritation.
This is why Zinc PCA often shows up in products for oily, breakout-prone skin and greasy scalps.
One lab study also hinted it might have a small anti-aging perk because it seemed to protect collagen from UVA damage and even helped the skin make a bit more of it. That last bit is still early research done in a dish and not real skin, so take it as a nice bonus rather than a promise for now.
As for scar healing, the picture is more "maybe" than a firm yes. Zinc itself plays a real role in wound repair because it is a cofactor for the enzymes involved in collagen building, calming inflammation, and helping new skin cells cover a wound. Lower zinc levels are also linked to slower healing.
Most of the scar healing research is on zinc oxide or oral zinc rather than zinc PCA specifically, with a focus on healing fresh wounds instead of scars that are already there.
Direct evidence that zinc PCA improves the look of established scars is still limited at this time. Though it would be fair to say zinc PCA supports the general skin-repair environment thanks to its zinc content .
This ingredient is water-soluble and plays nicely with other actives like niacinamide and salicylic acid. It works best at mildly acidic formulas (~4-6 pH) and is effective at low levels. Around 0.1% is enough to be active and finished products commonly use it anywhere up to 4%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-drama multitasker that suits oily and acne-prone skin.
Learn more about Zinc PCA
