What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Diglycerin
Humectant
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Protease
Exfoliating
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Algin
Masking
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPolyquaternium-7
Kaolin
Abrasive
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
BHT
Antioxidant
Sodium Pyrosulfate
Parfum
Masking
Glycerin, Water, Palmitic Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Diglycerin, Lauric Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauryl Glucoside, Ascorbic Acid, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Protease, Propylene Glycol, Algin, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Polyquaternium-7, Kaolin, Titanium Dioxide, Aluminum Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, BHT, Sodium Pyrosulfate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Sodium Lauramido Diacetate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium PEG-4 Cocamide Sulfate
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Lauramide DEA
SurfactantPolyquaternium-7
Etidronic Acid
Tetrasodium EDTA
Malt Juice
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Prunus Persica Leaf Extract
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Lauramido Diacetate, Glycol Distearate, Sodium PEG-4 Cocamide Sulfate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sorbitan Stearate, Lauramide DEA, Polyquaternium-7, Etidronic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Malt Juice, Polyquaternium-51, Butylene Glycol, Prunus Persica Leaf Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMyristic Acid, aka tetradecanoic acid, is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in coconut oil and palm oil.
In skincare, it is an:
Research indicates that this ingredient posts a low risk of irritation and sensitization.
Since myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid, it falls within the range that Malassezia can metabolize, and therefore not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources.
In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPolyquaternium-7 is a light to clear colored liquid. It is commonly found in haircare products for its film-forming and anti-static properties.
According to a manufacturer, it is a non-paraben and specially developed for negatively charged surfactant systems. This makes it a great hairstyle holder and helps to improve wet hair detangling without adding buildup.
Potassium 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 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
