What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingAcrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Potassium Laureth Phosphate
EmulsifyingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPolyquaternium-7
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Betaine
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Methyltaurate
Skin ConditioningSodium Sarcosinate
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Laureth Phosphate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Sodium Citrate, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxyacetophenone, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Glucoside, Bisabolol, Betaine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Methyltaurate, Sodium Sarcosinate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate
CleansingPEG-8
HumectantCocamide DEA
Emulsifying
Acrylates Copolymer
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingParfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingO-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-63
Skin ConditioningPEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Caprate
EmollientLaureth-23
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Betaine
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Propylparaben
Preservative
PCA
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Lysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Arginine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Water, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, PEG-8, Cocamide DEA, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycol Distearate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Hydroxide, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyquaternium-63, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Glyceryl Caprate, Laureth-23, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycolic Acid, Betaine, Methylparaben, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sodium PCA, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Propylparaben, PCA, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. Itβs known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineDisodium 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 EDTAEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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.
Sodium 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 ChlorideWater. 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
