What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Zeolite, Menthol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Citrus Medica Peel Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Citrus Reticulata Leaf Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Yucca Schidigera Root Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentCitrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil
Emollient
Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Yucca Schidigera Root Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Sodium Chloride, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum
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 AlcoholThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCitrus Grandis Peel Oil is an essential oil that is derived from the peel of a Grapefruit. It is composed largely of limonene, which is a fragrance that can cause irritation for sensitive skin.
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is a synthetic cleansing agent, though it is derived from coconut oil.
It is used to enhance the texture of products by boosting lather and thickening the texture. As a cleanser, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is mild.
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 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 ChlorideSodium Lauroyl Lactylate is the lauric acid sodium salt of lactyl lactate.
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate is an emulsifier and surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. They do this by preventing ingredients from separating, such as oils and water which do not mix naturally. Surfactants reduce surface tension, making it easier to rinse pollutants off skin.
Due to its relation to lauric acid, it may provide antimicrobial benefits.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl LactylateWater. 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
