What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Chondrus Crispus Powder
Abrasive
Trehalose
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract
Antioxidant
Betaine
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Leptospermum Scoparium Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Surfactant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
4-Terpineol
Masking
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin, Leptospermum Scoparium Leaf Extract, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Coco-Betaine, Salicylic Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citric Acid, Beta-Glucan, Fructooligosaccharides, Gluconolactone, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, 4-Terpineol, Zinc PCA, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ethylhexylglycerin
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.
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 preservatives
Coco-Betaine is the natural version of Cocamidopropyl Betaine. It is often derived from coconuts.
Coco-Betaine is a surfactant, meaning it helps remove dirt and oil from the skin.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
