What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCeramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Euphorbia Cerifera Wax
Lecithin
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Polysorbate 20, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide NP, Glycerin, Beta-Sitosterol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Squalane, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Behenate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Oleic Acid, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide
Glycerin 50%
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingInulin
Skin Conditioning
Dihydroxypropyl Arginine Hcl
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Polyquaternium-10
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Lecithin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin 50%, Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Chloride, Inulin, Dihydroxypropyl Arginine Hcl, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Glyceryl Glucoside, Polyquaternium-10, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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 BetaineEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
