What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantLauryl Glucoside
CleansingAlcohol
AntimicrobialArnica Montana Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingSodium Benzoate
MaskingCymbopogon Citratus Leaf Oil
MaskingSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingEucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract
PerfumingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantSorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
CleansingGeraniol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingMentha Piperita Oil
MaskingDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeWater, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Alcohol, Arnica Montana Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Cymbopogon Citratus Leaf Oil, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Geraniol, Limonene, Mentha Piperita Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Decyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl 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 GlycerinSorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer is also known as Poly Suga®Mulse D9 (We'll call is SODC for short).
SODC is a nonionic fragrance solubilizer. A solubilizer blends small amounts of oils into water-based formulas. It is especially good at solubilizing fragrances in water-only systems.
SODC does not contain PEGs. It is hydrophilic, meaning it has the tendency to mix with water.
In products, SODC acts as an emulsifer by blending waters and oils.
Learn more about Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside CrosspolymerWater. 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