What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingBetaine
Humectant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingSalicylic Acid
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Myristyl Nicotinate
Skin ConditioningEpilobium Fleischeri Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium Citrate
BufferingQuillaja Saponaria Wood Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Saponaria Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGeraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Betaine, Saccharide Isomerate, Zinc PCA, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Salicylic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzoic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Myristyl Nicotinate, Epilobium Fleischeri Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Citrate, Quillaja Saponaria Wood Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Potassium Sorbate, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Geraniol, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCoco-Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Tetrasodium EDTA
Polyquaternium-47
Skin ConditioningMenthol
Masking
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Citric Acid
Buffering
Reviews
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 below 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 GlycerinChances 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 ChlorideSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
