What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTriolein
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sea Water
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Centella Asiatica Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Rhodophyceae Extract
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Sucrose
Humectant
Malpighia Punicifolia Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoate
Cleansing
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Polyquaternium-7
Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate
UV AbsorberButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycol Distearate, Sucrose, Malpighia Punicifolia Fruit Extract, Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Coconut Acid, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Benzyl Salicylate, CI 42090, CI 16035, CI 77891, CI 19140, CI 15985
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
