What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Polyquaternium-7
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Squalene
Emollient
Fomes Officinalis Extract
Skin ProtectingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAvena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Trehalose
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Lecithin
Emollient
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Algin
Masking
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Caprooyl Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Sphingosine
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Eos
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceteareth-25
CleansingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cholesterol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingGlyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Polyacrylate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Magnolia Grandiflora Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Pullulan
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Disodium EDTA, Polyquaternium-7, Potassium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Squalene, Fomes Officinalis Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Trehalose, Urea, Lecithin, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Serine, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Algin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Bakuchiol, Behenic Acid, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Caprylyl Glycol, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Eos, Ceramide NP, Ceramide Ns, Ceteareth-25, Cetyl Alcohol, Cholesterol, Citric Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnolia Grandiflora Leaf Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Sorbate, Pullulan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Saponaria Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Saponaria Officinalis Extract, Sodium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Allantoin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ceramide NP, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Retinol, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is an emulsifier derived from castor oil.
As an emulsifying agent, it helps other ingredients like fragrances and fat-soluble vitamins dissolve cohesively.
Due to its large molecule size, it doesn't penetrate beyond the skin's surface.
This ingredient has a solid regulatory track record; the CIR Expert Panel first concluded it was safe for use in cosmetics at concentrations up to 100% in 1997. A 2012 reassessment reaffirmed that finding. Safety studies have also found no irritation or evidence of toxicity.
A 2019 study did find this ingredient to grow Malassezia, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor OilPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
