What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polysilicone-11
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Copper PCA
HumectantCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Levulinic Acid
Perfuming
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Decyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is below the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
