What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Xylitol
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Nopalea Cochenillifera Extract
Skin ConditioningKojic Dipalmitate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyquaternium-7
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Decyl Glucoside, Lauric Acid, Glycol Distearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Xylitol, Glucose, Anhydroxylitol, Nopalea Cochenillifera Extract, Kojic Dipalmitate, Niacinamide, Sodium PCA, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyquaternium-7, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Metabisulfite, BHT, Tocopherol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Glucoside, Alpha-Arbutin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingXylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Betaine
Humectant
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propanediol, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Salicylic Acid, Betaine, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Allantoin, Zinc PCA, Sodium PCA, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is created from dehydrating xylitol in acidic conditions. Xylitol is a famous sugar and humectant.
Much like its predecessor, anhydroxylitol is a humectant. Humectants attract and hold water to moisturize the skin.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol (24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
This ingredient is often derived from plants such as wood and sugarcane.
Learn more about AnhydroxylitolCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
