What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamidopropylamine Oxide
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
ChelatingC13-15 Alkane
SolventGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-7
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycol Distearate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, C13-15 Alkane, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-7, Bisabolol, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Leaf Extract
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract
Emulsion Stabilising
Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract
Astringent
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract
Skin ConditioningEchinacea Purpurea Extract
MoisturisingGlycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lavandula Angustifolia Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialMacrocystis Pyrifera Extract
Skin Conditioning
Mangifera Indica Pulp Extract
Skin ConditioningSalix Alba Extract
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Glycerin, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Mangifera Indica Pulp Extract, Salix Alba Extract, Xanthan Gum, Glycol Distearate, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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.
Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.
However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlycol Distearate is an emulsifier and emollient that adds a "pearly" appearance to formulations.
That lustrous look you see in many shampoos is due to this ingredient: when cooled, it crystallizes into small platelets that reflect light to give products that rich, shimmering look.
This ingredient is considered safe at present practices of use and concentration and repeated insult patch test with 50% Glycol Distearate on 125 subjects found no evidence of skin irritation, hypersensitivity, or acute toxicity.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.1-10%.
Because it's an ester of stearic acid, it falls into the range that Malassezia likes to metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearatePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
