What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
PEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tetrasodium EDTA
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Arginine
Masking
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract
Skin ConditioningCoffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Leaf Extract
AstringentPinus Densiflora Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Cocamide Mea, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, PEG-150 Distearate, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tetrasodium EDTA, Salicylic Acid, Acacia Senegal Gum, Glycolic Acid, Arginine, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Leaf Extract, Pinus Densiflora Leaf Extract, Decyl Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol
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 BetaineDecyl 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 GlucosideMethylchloroisothiazolinone, or MCI, is a synthetic preservative used to protect against the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi in water-based products.
MCI is commonly combined with methylisothiazolinone (MI) in a 3:1 ratio.
This ingredient is safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-sensitizing and concentrations must not exceed 7.5 ppm in leave-on products / 15 ppm in rinse-off products.
Unfortunately, this ingredient has a well-documented sensitization story. Studies spanning several decades have shown this ingredient + MI to cause skin irritation and allergies.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
This just means this ingredient is most likely non-sensitizing in rinse-off products unless you've been diagnosed with a contact allergy to isothiazolinones.
Learn more about MethylchloroisothiazolinoneMI is a preservative and known skin irritant. In the past, MI was used for its ability to prevent bacteria, yeast, and fungi growth in low doses.
Nowadays, you'll most likely see MI combined with Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI).
Since then, numerous studies have shown this ingredient to cause contact dermatitis, or skin irritation.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
Learn more about MethylisothiazolinonePhenoxyethanol 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.
Tetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
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
