What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSorbitol
Humectant
Sodium Palm Kernelate
CleansingSodium Rosinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Palmate
CleansingSodium Stearate
CleansingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
PEG-4
HumectantSodium Laurate
CleansingAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Sodium Sulfate
Parfum
Masking
Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Carum Carvi Fruit Oil
Masking
Tetrasodium Etidronate
ChelatingLauryl Alcohol
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
ChelatingBHT
Antioxidant
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantCI 47005
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sorbitol, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Rosinate, Glycerin, Sodium Palmate, Sodium Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, PEG-4, Sodium Laurate, Alcohol Denat., Sodium Chloride, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Sulfate, Parfum, Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Carum Carvi Fruit Oil, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Lauryl Alcohol, Tetrasodium EDTA, BHT, CI 17200, CI 47005
Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate
CleansingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Palmitate
CleansingWater
Skin ConditioningLauric Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingSodium Stearate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Palm Kernelate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Tetrasodium EDTA
ChelatingTetrasodium Etidronate
ChelatingAlumina
Abrasive
CI 77891
Cosmetic Colorant
Reviews
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 GlycerinChances 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 ChlorideThis ingredient is derived from the fatty acids of palm kernel oil and is considered a traditional soap.
It acts as a surfactant by making it easier for water to wash away dirt, oil, and other impurities.
Sodium Stearate is soap and usually the main thing holding a bar of soap together. In cosmetics, it does three jobs: it cleanses, thickens, and turns liquids into solid sticks.
Use levels vary hugely by product type; supplier guidance puts the typical range at 0.5-20%, with bar soaps at 5-20%, deodorant sticks at 4-8%, and under 1% when it's acting as a co-emulfisifier. Industry data has reported levels as high as 84% in some leave-on fragrance products.
Safety-wise, it's about as well-established as an ingredient gets. The FDA and European food-safety regulators treat this ingredient as safe in food.
Allergy risk is genuinely low too; stearates aren't on standard patch test series and published sensitization reports are scarce. The more realistic concern is irritation since high-percentage soaps can leave the skin tight and dry.
Learn more about Sodium StearateTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
We don't have a description for Tetrasodium Etidronate yet.
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
