What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Limon Fruit Oil
Astringent
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButeth-3
SolventDisodium EDTA
Gelidium Amansii Extract
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
Algae Extract
EmollientMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSalicornia Herbacea Extract
Skin ConditioningSpirulina Platensis Extract
Skin ProtectingSodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate
UV AbsorberOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Squalane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
PEG-35 Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate
AbsorbentCopaifera Officinalis Resin
MaskingCalcium Pantothenate
Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Tributyl Citrate
SolventCymbopogon Martini Oil
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cananga Odorata Flower Extract
Perfuming
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract
Skin ConditioningLecithin
Emollient
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Salvia Sclarea Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Silica
Abrasive
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Inositol
Humectant
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicGlyceryl Arachidonate
Emollient
Glyceryl Linolenate
Emollient
Folic Acid
Skin ConditioningPyridoxine
Skin ConditioningThiamine Hcl
MaskingCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningWater, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Palmitic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Limon Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Buteth-3, Disodium EDTA, Gelidium Amansii Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Algae Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Octyldodecanol, Niacinamide, PEG-35 Castor Oil, Glycerin, Alcohol, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Copaifera Officinalis Resin, Calcium Pantothenate, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Maltodextrin, Tributyl Citrate, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Cananga Odorata Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Lecithin, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pyridoxine Hcl, Polysorbate 20, Tocopherol, Silica, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Inositol, Linoleic Acid, Biotin, Glyceryl Arachidonate, Glyceryl Linolenate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine, Thiamine Hcl, Cyanocobalamin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingPropanediol
Solvent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Glycolipids
Skin ConditioningLinoleic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingCucumis Melo Cantalupensis Fruit Extract
AstringentSclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolylysine
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycolipids, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Lauryl Glucoside, Cucumis Melo Cantalupensis Fruit Extract, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Polylysine
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 GlycerinLinoleic Acid is also known as Vitamin F. It is a fatty acid with emollient and skin conditioning properties. Our top layer of skin, or epidermis, contains high amounts of linoleic acid naturally.
Your body uses linoleic acid to build ceramides and prostaglandins. Ceramides keep your skin's barrier hydrated and strong while prosaglandins help control inflammation and healing. Needless to say, linoleic acid is crucial for having a strong skin barrier.
One study found applying linoleic acid rich sunflower oil to be more effective at repairing the skin barrier than oleic rich olive oil.
Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid, meaning our bodies cannot create it on its own. We need to get linoleic acid through foods such as nuts and vegetable oils.
Acne-prone skin tends to have linoleic acid and high levels of oleic acid.
Linoleic acid can also help treat acne by softening sebum to prevent clogged pores. Another study found using 2.5% linoleic acid gel for 4 weeks showed a 25% reduction in small comedones.
This ingredient can also help lighten hyperpigmentation or sun spots by disrupting the melanin production process. It also helps your skin shed melanin pigment from your skin caused by UV exposure.
Due to its role in the production of the fatty acid prostaglandin, linoleic acid can also help reduce inflammation and support wound healing.
Linoleic acid is not always fungal-acne safe; it may trigger flare-ups in sensitive individuals.
Learn more about Linoleic AcidPhenoxyethanol 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.
Chances 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 ChlorideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
