What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-22
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAsiaticoside
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Decyl Glucoside, Butylene Glycol, Parfum, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Polyquaternium-22, Sodium Benzoate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Piroctone Olamine, Coconut Acid, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Phytosphingosine, Alcohol, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract, Asiaticoside, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Mipa-Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingGlyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Sorbitan Caprylate
EmulsifyingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingArctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Propanediol
Solvent
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Mipa-Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Coco-Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Alcohol, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Glyceryl Oleate, Sorbitan Caprylate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Citric Acid, Propanediol, Benzoic Acid, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
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 also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol. It is denatured, meaning made undrinkable for cosmetic use.
In formulas, it:
Is it bad for your skin?
The answer comes down to concentration. Patch and wash studies have found highly concentrated alcohol-based hand rubs (60-100%) cause less barrier disruption than washing with a basic detergent like SLS. The only measurable effect in these studies was a temporary dip in skin hydration.
Concentrations below 12-15% in leave-on cosmetics is generally well-tolerated. Concentrations above start to see increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and reduced hydration.
In concentrations about 58%, it creates temporary channels in your skin's lipid layers to become more permeable and allow other ingredients to slip through easily.
This ingredient can be up to 80% of the formula in alcohol-based perfumes.
Overall, this ingredient is probably harmless if found lower down an ingredients list but worth side-eyeing if it's high up (especially if your barrier is already struggling).
Alcohol can worsen dry skin, eczema, and oily skin, especially at higher concentrations. This is because it can increase transepidermal water loss and decrease hydration to disrupt the skin barrier.
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
True allergic contact dermatitis to ethanol is uncommon, but be sure to patch test if you have dry or sensitive skin.
Learn more about AlcoholCitric 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 AcidCocamidopropyl 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 BetaineCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Oleate is the ester of glycerin and oleic acid. This ingredient is mainly an emollient and emulsifier.
Emollients soften and hydrate the skin by creating a thin film on top to trap in moisture. As an emulsifier, glyceryl oleate helps stabilize formulations by preventing ingredients such as oil and water from separating. According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps helps thicken water-in-oil formulations, shower gels, and hair shampoos.
In some products, this ingredient may be used as a fragrance / perfuming ingredient. The scent of this ingredient is described to be "waxy".
Glyceryl oleate is created from oils rich in oleic acid, such as peanut oil and olive oil.
This ingredient may not be malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateChances 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 ChlorideSodium Cocoyl Glutamate is a gentle cleanser and surfactant. It is the sodium salt of the Cocoyl Glutamic Acid and comes from coconut oil. As a surfactant, it helps lift dirt and oil to be washed away.
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate also has an emolliating effect and can help leave the skin feeling soft.
Water. 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
