What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Maris Aqua
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Laureth-4
Emulsifying
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Zea Mays Starch, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Lauric Acid, Parfum, Maris Aqua, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Chlorphenesin, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Laureth-4, T-Butyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Limonene, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Geraniol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Acrylates Crosspolymer-4
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCastoryl Maleate
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Preservative
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Malachite Extract
Antioxidant
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Acrylates Crosspolymer-4, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Stearic Acid, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sodium Chloride, Castoryl Maleate, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Lauric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Palmitic Acid, Ethylparaben, Malachite Extract, Oleic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Cyanocobalamin
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 AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources. In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPhenoxyethanol 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.
Chances 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 Cocoyl Glycinate is a cleansing agent. It can be naturally derived or synthetically-created.
As a surfactant, it helps clean your skin by gathering dirt, oil, and other pollutants to be rinsed away more easily.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
