What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningLimonene
Perfuming
Denatonium Benzoate
Masking
Leptospermum Petersonii Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Gluconic Acid
Sodium
Lactobionic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Rugosa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyapatite
Abrasive
Dextrin
AbsorbentCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTetradecene
EmollientSodium Sulfate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Polyquaternium-10
Water, Glycerin, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Lauryl Glucoside, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Salicylic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Mandelic Acid, Gluconic Acid, Sodium, Lactobionic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Octyldodecanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Rosa Rugosa Fruit Extract, Hydroxyapatite, Dextrin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Tetradecene, Sodium Sulfate, Citric Acid, Parfum, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Polyquaternium-10
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 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 ChlorideWater. 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
