What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyquaternium-39
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Linalool
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Palmaria Palmata Extract
Skin ProtectingWater, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycol Distearate, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyquaternium-39, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Tetrasodium EDTA, Linalool, Sodium Benzoate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Palmaria Palmata Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Methyltaurate
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Surfactant
Pantolactone
Humectant
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamide Mea, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Lauric Acid, Sodium Methyltaurate, Stearic Acid, Cetrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Pantolactone
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinGlycol Distearate is an emulsifier and emollient that adds a "pearly" appearance to formulations.
That lustrous look you see in many shampoos is due to this ingredient: when cooled, it crystallizes into small platelets that reflect light to give products that rich, shimmering look.
This ingredient is considered safe at present practices of use and concentration and repeated insult patch test with 50% Glycol Distearate on 125 subjects found no evidence of skin irritation, hypersensitivity, or acute toxicity.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.1-10%.
Because it's an ester of stearic acid, it falls into the range that Malassezia likes to metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateLauric 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 AcidSodium 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 ChlorideStearic 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
