What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingOryza Sativa Bran Water
Masking
Citrus Reticulata Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingHydrogenated Jojoba Oil
Abrasive
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Colostrum
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Niacinamide, Carbomer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Oryza Sativa Bran Water, Citrus Reticulata Fruit Extract, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Colostrum, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCocamide DEA
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Triclosan
Preservative
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil
Abrasive
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
EDTA
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingColour
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineDMDM Hydantoin has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. It is a preservative that works by slowly releasing formaldehyde over time.
So what's formaldehyde?
DMDM Hydantoin is approved for use in cosmetics all around the world.
In the EU, this ingredient is allowed in personal products up to 0.6 percent.
You might have heard of the class-action lawsuit about it causing hair loss. According to chemists, there has not been a link found between this ingredient and hair loss.
The Hydantoin part of this ingredient is created by reacting glycolic acid and urea.
You can check out alternatives to Dmdm Hydantoin:
phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate.
Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil is the "hardened version" of jojoba oil; jojoba oil is technically not an oil at all but a liquid wax that has a structure similar to your skin's own sebum.
Adding hydrogen turns this liquid wax into a colorless, odorless, hard wax with a melting point of around 70°C. This is why you'll see it in "stick formulations" like lipstick, eyeliner, and lip balm.
It also acts as a cushiony emollient and skin conditioning agent that leaves skin soft and smooth.
The safety profile of this ingredient is reassuring; the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics and that it isn't am irritant or sensitizer.
Typical use levels range from 1% up to 25-31% in stick products.
Learn more about Hydrogenated Jojoba OilPEG-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 OilPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideSodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a foaming, cleansing, and emulsifying ingredient. It is created from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. SLES is not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate. It is much milder and less likely to irritate.
SLES helps create foam in personal products. It also prevents ingredients from separating, helping to elongate the shelf life.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a type of sulfate. It can be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient if you have concerns.
Learn more about Sodium Laureth SulfateWater. 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
