Simple Skincare Kind To Skin Refreshing Facial Wash Versus Pur Cosmetics PUR xo Nabela Refresh Brightening Cleanser
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningGlucose
Humectant
Sodium Carbonate
BufferingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Emulsifying
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Glucose, Sodium Carbonate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Methyl Gluceth-20, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Benzoate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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 GlycerinSodium 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 ChlorideSodium 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 HydroxideWater. 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
