What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPumice
Abrasive
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingSteareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMacrocystis Pyrifera Extract
Skin Conditioning
Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin Protecting
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
CI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantCI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Pumice, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Palmitate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Paraffinum Liquidum, Trideceth-6, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Carbomer, Behenyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, CI 15985, CI 16035, CI 14700
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Pumice
Abrasive
Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingJuglans Regia Shell Powder
Abrasive
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Pumice, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Juglans Regia Shell Powder, Carbomer, PEG-150 Distearate, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Parfum, 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.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCarbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerDehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
Learn more about Dehydroacetic 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 Glucoside sugar- and lipid-based cleansing agent. It is created from glucose and lauryl alcohol.
This ingredient is a surfactant, making it easier to rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants away.
A British study found lauryl glucoside to cause skin sensitivity for some people. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Other names for this ingredient include "Lauryl Polyglucose", "Lauryl glycoside", and "D-Glucopyranoside".
Learn more about Lauryl GlucosidePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolPumice is an exfoliant.
We don't have a description for Sodium Cocoamphoacetate yet.
Sodium 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.
We don't have a description for Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate yet.
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
