What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGlyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil
Emollient
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingQuillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingPhaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract
HumectantLecithin
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Squalane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Soymilk
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Chloride, Glyceryl Glucoside, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Gluconolactone, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Phytate, Hexylene Glycol, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Phaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Soymilk, Oryza Sativa Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Laureth Phosphate
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingQuillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Potassium Cocoyl Glutamate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTromethamine
BufferingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Water, Potassium Laureth Phosphate, Glycerin, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Potassium Cocoyl Glutamate, Citric Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tromethamine, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract yet.
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 Cocoyl Glutamate is a gentle cleanser and surfactant. It is the sodium salt of the Cocoyl Glutamic Acid and comes from coconut oil. As a surfactant, it helps lift dirt and oil to be washed away.
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate also has an emolliating effect and can help leave the skin feeling soft.
Sodium 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
