What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Palmitate
Emulsifying
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Polyquaternium-39
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Palmitic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Palmitate, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Polyquaternium-39, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Limonene, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGlycol Stearate
Emollient
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Stearate, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Lactate, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Lauric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Linalool
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium 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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidLavandula Angustifolia Oil is more commonly known as lavender essential oil. It is considered a fragrancing ingredient.
Lavender imparts a famous scent. While the smell is lovely, this ingredient and may sensitize skin in topical products. This is because about 85% of the oil is made up of linalool and linalyl acetate.
When exposed to air, these two compounds become strong allergens. This ingredient exhibits cytotoxicity at low concentrations; amounts of 0.25% have been shown to damage skin cells.
A study from Japan found this ingredient caused lavender sensitivity after widespread exposure.
Lavender essential oil has some antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the cons of this ingredient may outweight the pros.
More research is needed to confirm lavender essential oil's effects when used in aromatherapy.
Lavandula Angustifolia is known as the English Lavender and famous for creating purple fields in Provence, France.
Learn more about Lavandula Angustifolia OilLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolSodium 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 BenzoateSodium Cocoyl Glycinate is a cleansing agent. It can be naturally derived or synthetically-created.
As a surfactant, it helps clean your skin by gathering dirt, oil, and other pollutants to be rinsed away more easily.
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
