What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate
Emulsifying
Levulinic Acid
Perfuming
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Sodium Surfactin
CleansingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate, Levulinic Acid, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Lecithin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Parfum, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Sodium Levulinate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Potassium Sorbate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hydroxide, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Sodium Surfactin, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingCentaurea Cyanus Flower Water
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Olive Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
Emollient
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningLevulinic Acid
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water, Sodium PCA, Bisabolol, Olive Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Levulinate, Levulinic Acid, 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.
This ingredient is a mild surfactant made by sticking glucose onto a blend of fatty acids.
It does two jobs because it has a sugar head that loves water and a fatty tail that loves oil:
Typical use levels range from 10-20% in cleansers and 15-30% in shower products.
Once on your skin, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down into glucose and the parent fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe because its fatty alcohol portion sits outside the Malassezia yeast's metabolization range.
Learn more about Caprylyl/Capryl GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinLevulinic Acid is a fragrance that comes from the degradation of cellulose. It is a saturated fatty acid.
This ingredient is often used a building block for other compounds, such as in pharmaceuticals.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient smells like caramel.
Learn more about Levulinic AcidParfum 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 ParfumPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate comes from Capric Acid and Polyglycerin-4. It is an emulsifier.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. They do this by preventing ingredients from separating, such as oils and water which do not mix naturally.
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSodium 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 HydroxideSodium levulinate is the a sodium salt of Levulinic Acid. Oncedissolved in an aqueous solution, the two ingredients become identical. It is usually derived from renewable plant sources like corn starch or sugarcane.
In skincare, it mostly acts as a skin conditioning agent that keeps skin soft and hydrated. It also acts as a preservative booster by inhibiting the growth of mold, yeast, and bacteria.
It's often paired with Sodium Anisate as the two create a broad-spectrum preservative system that is popular in "natural" formulations.
This ingredient is water-soluble.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be non-irritated and there are no restrictions for use in EU cosmetics. The FDA also allows this ingredient to be used as a food-grade flavoring agent.
Learn more about Sodium LevulinateWater. 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
