What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium PCA
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-7
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Water, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Calcium Gluconate, Gluconolactone, Magnesium PCA, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lactic Acid, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningLactamide Mea
HumectantSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCeteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol
EmulsifyingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Lactamide Mea, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lecithin, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Piroctone Olamine, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Zinc Gluconate
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 AcidCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-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 GlycerinGlyceryl Oleate is the ester of glycerin and oleic acid. This ingredient is mainly an emollient and emulsifier.
Emollients soften and hydrate the skin by creating a thin film on top to trap in moisture. As an emulsifier, glyceryl oleate helps stabilize formulations by preventing ingredients such as oil and water from separating. According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps helps thicken water-in-oil formulations, shower gels, and hair shampoos.
In some products, this ingredient may be used as a fragrance / perfuming ingredient. The scent of this ingredient is described to be "waxy".
Glyceryl oleate is created from oils rich in oleic acid, such as peanut oil and olive oil.
This ingredient may not be malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate isn't fungal acne safe.
Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate is used to improve texture and stability of a product. It is sugar based and helps thicken a product.
Once applied, it also creates a thin film to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
This ingredient is the polyethylene glycol ether of the diester of oleic acid and methylglucose. The 120 represents an average of 120 moles of ethylene oxide.
There is limited research on this ingredient, although it is considered safe to use in skincare products.
Learn more about PEG-120 Methyl Glucose DioleateSodium 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 ChlorideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
