What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Dimethylglucamine
BufferingArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Verbascum Densiflorum Flower/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningHelichrysum Italicum Extract
AntiseborrhoeicCota Tinctoria Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningLinum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTrideceth-8
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Polyquaternium-39
Citric Acid
Buffering
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Gluceptate
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingParfum
Masking
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Dimethylglucamine, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Verbascum Densiflorum Flower/Stem Extract, Helichrysum Italicum Extract, Cota Tinctoria Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trideceth-8, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium PCA, Polyquaternium-39, Citric Acid, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Gluceptate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Parfum, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Cocamide Mipa
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract
MaskingAnthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf
Masking
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningTriticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Bisamino PEG/PPG-41/3 Aminoethyl Pg-Propyl Dimethicone
PEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-11
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMethylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Magnesium Chloride
Magnesium Nitrate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide Mipa, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Glycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Bisamino PEG/PPG-41/3 Aminoethyl Pg-Propyl Dimethicone, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-11, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Coumarin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCitric 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 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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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
