What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrated Silica
Abrasive
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Triethanolamine
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Husk Powder
Abrasive
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Triethanolamine
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder
Abrasive
Viola Odorata Leaf Extract
MaskingPassiflora Incarnata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Junos Fruit Oil
Masking
Fucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Copper PCA
HumectantCitrus Reticulata Peel Oil
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Cholate
Skin ConditioningWater, Olea Europaea Husk Powder, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder, Viola Odorata Leaf Extract, Passiflora Incarnata Flower Extract, Citrus Junos Fruit Oil, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Copper PCA, Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Cholate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCocamidopropyl 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Triethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about TriethanolamineWater. 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
