What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant
Tromethamine
BufferingGlycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
Humectant2,3-Butanediol
HumectantSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Octanediol
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Lauryl Glucoside, Acrylates Copolymer, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Glucoside, Ethoxydiglycol, Butylene Glycol, Tromethamine, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Sodium Chloride, Hyaluronic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, 2,3-Butanediol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycereth-26, Propanediol, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Octanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCitric 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 AcidHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene 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
