What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Dihydroxyacetone
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caramel
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
CI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propylene Glycol, Dihydroxyacetone, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Ethoxydiglycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-12 Dimethicone, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caramel, Sodium Metabisulfite, Parfum, Citric Acid, CI 16035, CI 19140, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Dihydroxyacetone
Skin ConditioningButane
Propane
Isobutane
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventSodium Bisulfite
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sucrose Laurate
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 AcidCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineDihydroxyacetone, or DHA, is the active ingredient in self-tanners.
It's a simply sugar that reacts with the free amino acids in your outermost layer of skin to produce brown-colored compounds called melanoidins.
DHA does not penetrate living skin cells, does not interact with melanocytes, and does not affect actualy melanin production.
There's a "safety controversy" that largely stems from misinterpreted studies:
Once concern is that DHA can generate unstable molecules that can damage cells (free radicals) when exposed to sunlight. This only happens in the outermost layer of dead skin cells and wearing SPF on top takes care of it.
The DNA damage claim comes from lab studies that doused living skin cells in much higher concentrations of DHA than you'd ever find in a self-tanner. That's not really a meaningful comparison to putting self-tanning lotion on your skin.
Regulatory bodies around the world, including the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and the U.S. FDA consider it safe for use in cosmetics when applied topically (maximum 10%, and most self-tanners contain between 3-5%).
Learn more about DihydroxyacetoneDimethyl Isosorbide (often shortened to DMI) is a sugar-derived solvent made from sorbitol. It's used to dissolve tricky ingredients and help them mix smoothly into a formula.
Many actives sit as gritty crystals when undissolved, so DMI swoops in to full dissolve them. This helps improve texture, stability, and how evenly an active is distributed.
It does have a penetration-enhancing reputation that is a bit more nuanced than marketing suggests; a cell study on human skin found that 10% DMI didn't significantly boost the permeation of Hydroquinone, Salicylic Acid, or Octadecenedioic Acid compared to controls (though it did improve their solubility in the formula itself).
Typical usage concentrations usually range from 1-10% depending on the formula's needs; this ingredient is also well tolerated at these levels.
Learn more about Dimethyl IsosorbidePhenoxyethanol 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
