What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingPropanediol
Solvent
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingOpuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Nasturtium Officinale Extract
Perfuming
Arctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hedera Helix Extract
AntimicrobialSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingSaponaria Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Caprylic Acid
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Glycolate
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Lauryl Glucoside, Propanediol, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Hedera Helix Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Saponaria Officinalis Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Xylitol, Caprylic Acid, Citric Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Glycolate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCitric 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.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinChances 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 glycolate is the sodium salt of glycolic acid, a famous AHA. It has buffering properties to help balance a product's pH levels.
This ingredient does not act as an exfoliant.
We don't have a description for Sodium Lauroamphoacetate yet.
Water. 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
