This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.
What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Sd Alcohol 40-B
Astringent
Dimethyl Ether
SolventOctylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingParfum
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Acetyl Triethyl Citrate
Masking
PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Water
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Amp-Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
CleansingBenzophenone-4
UV Absorber
Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil
Emollient
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract
MaskingMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLitchi Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningStyrax Benzoin Resin Extract
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Sd Alcohol 40-B, Dimethyl Ether, Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Parfum, Glycerin, Acetyl Triethyl Citrate, PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone, Water, Panthenol, Amp-Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Benzophenone-4, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Litchi Chinensis Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract, Styrax Benzoin Resin Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Citral
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPetrolatum
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Phoenix Dactylifera Fruit Extract
EmollientPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
