What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningSalicylic Acid
Masking
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantCopper PCA
HumectantMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Citric Acid
Buffering
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Alcohol Denat., Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Gluconolactone, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Salicylic Acid, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Niacinamide, Calcium Gluconate, Copper PCA, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Zinc Gluconate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Citric Acid, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Glutamate
MaskingZinc PCA
Humectant
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Decyl Glucoside, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Glutamate, Zinc PCA, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 AcidDecyl 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 GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
