What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Mannitol
Humectant
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMica
Cosmetic ColorantSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Leontopodium Alpinum Extract
Skin ConditioningAcer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, DMDM Hydantoin, Parfum, Gluconolactone, Zea Mays Starch, Mannitol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Benzoate, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Mica, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, CI 77891, CI 77499
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate is an amino acid-based surfactant and cleaning agent. This ingredient can be derived from animals or plants. It may also be synthetically created from fatty acids of the coconut and glycine.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is a gentle surfactant. Surfactants help gather the dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away. It is a mild cleanser and naturally produces foam.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
