The Originote Cicamide Facial Cleanser Versus Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-90 Glyceryl Isostearate
Cleansing
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Laureth-2
CleansingMethylparaben
Preservative
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-90 Glyceryl Isostearate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Phenoxyethanol, Laureth-2, Methylparaben, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Cholesterol, Ceramide NP
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Chloride
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Pantolactone
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Chloride
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Pantolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Chloride, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl 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.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolChances 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
