What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Sulfate
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tetrasodium EDTA
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Water, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Panthenol, Serine, Allantoin, Glycerin, Cocamide Mea, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Sulfate, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium Cocoate, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Titanium Dioxide, CI 77891, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Acrylates Copolymer
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Serine
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Coco-Glucoside, Acrylates Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Serine, Panthenol, Allantoin, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerAllantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCitric 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 GlycerinLauryl Hydroxysultaine is a mild surfactant or cleansing ingredient that helps lift away dirt/oil, boost foam, and thicken the formula. It plays nicely with other surfactants and stays stable across a wide pH range.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate is an amino acid-based surfactant and cleaning agent. This ingredient can be derived from animals or plants. It may also be synthetically created from fatty acids of the coconut and glycine.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is a gentle surfactant. Surfactants help gather the dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away. It is a mild cleanser and naturally produces foam.
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil is an essential oil also known as rosemary essential oil. In skincare, it is a skin conditioning agent and also acts as a natural fragrance that gives products a fresh/herby smell.
The oil is a mix of over 100 volatile compounds with 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, camphor, and verbenone usually leading the pack.
Lab studies credit this oil with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity. Some research even show rosemary compounds calming acne-related inflammation.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be nonsensitizing.
Since this is a fragrant essential oil, the main concern is for fragrance-sensitive folks.
Learn more about Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf OilSerine is a non-essential amino acid (your body makes it on its own!). It is a major player in your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Serine is one of your NMF's most abundant components that works as a skin-identical humectant. Its hydroxyl group grabs onto water molecules to boost hydration without any heaviness or occlusion.
Research on a hydrogel with serine confirmed this serine got delivered to your stratum corneum and demonstrated enhanced skin moisturization.
Interestingly serine also helps your skin produce filaggrin, a protein that keeps your skin barrier strong and used to create collagen.
Learn more about SerineSodium 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 BenzoateWater. 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
