What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Sorbitan Laurate
Emulsifying
Disunfloweroylethyl Dimonium Chloride
Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides
Emollient
Lauryl Lactyl Lactate
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-7
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Oats
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil
Skin Protecting
Citrus Limon Peel Oil 1%
Masking
Glycerin, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Sorbitan Laurate, Disunfloweroylethyl Dimonium Chloride, Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides, Lauryl Lactyl Lactate, Panthenol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Gluconate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Oats, Helianthus Annuus Flower Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil 1%
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 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChloridePanthenol 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 PanthenolWater. 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
