What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Ammonium Chloride
BufferingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingParfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningMethylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningAscophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin Conditioning
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42053
Cosmetic ColorantCI 47005
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Parfum, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Glycerin, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, CI 42090, CI 42053, CI 47005
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
CleansingDisodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
CleansingPPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Coco/Isostearamide
Surfactant
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingParfum
Masking
Cocamide Dipa
Emulsifying
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Algae Extract
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sea Water
HumectantSea Salt
Abrasive
Polyquaternium-4
Calluna Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningAscophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tetrasodium EDTA
ChelatingSargassum Filipendula Extract
Skin Protecting
Hypnea Musciformis Extract
Skin Protecting
Gelidiella Acerosa Extract
Skin Protecting
Sorbitol
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantLimonene
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Coco/Isostearamide, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Parfum, Cocamide Dipa, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Algae Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sea Water, Sea Salt, Polyquaternium-4, Calluna Vulgaris Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sargassum Filipendula Extract, Hypnea Musciformis Extract, Gelidiella Acerosa Extract, Sorbitol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, CI 42090, Limonene, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This extract comes from the big brown seaweed that grows on rocky North Atlantic shorelines.
In a formula, it is used for skin conditioning.
The interesting stuff in there is fucoidan, a type of sulfated sugar polymer, and brown algae polyphenols.
The most cited study took a purified 16 kDa fucoidan fraction from this seaweed and tested it on human skin sections in the lab; results showed that it looks like it can slow down some of the enzymes that chew up collagen and elastin.
None of this is human topical trial so fair to see it as a promising ingredient with a thin clinical file.
Another thing to know is that seaweed composition swings a lot depending on where and when it was harvested, and how it was extracted. Two products with the same INCI can be meaningfully different materials.
Real-world use levels are low, usually between a fraction of a percent and 6%. Just know the raw material that suppliers sell is already diluted, so a "5% seaweed extract" often means a lot less seaweed than what it sounds like. One of the trade materials the CIR reviewed was only 4.7% actual extract in water.
This ingredient has a solid safety record: Human sensitization testing came back negative across a range of 0.5% all the way up to 75% (which is far above anything you would ever put in a product).
It was non-irritating on skin at 4.7%, non-phototoxic, and not genotoxic.
You'll see algae listed as a 5/5 on a lot of pore-clogging charts and that number doesn't come from anywhere; it's not in the original rabbit-ear studies that most comedogenic ratings trace back to.
The reasoning behind the reputation is that seaweed is high in iodine and iodine can trigger acne-like breakouts when eaten. This traces back to a 1976 letter in Archives of Dermatology describing two women whose breakouts cleared after they stopped taking high-dose kelp supplements orally.
And the reaction of these two women wasn't clogged pores at all: it was an iodine-triggered pustular rash. Later research found normal dietary iodine doesn't meaningfully affect acne either and nobody has shown topical algae delivers enough iodine to matter.
What we do have is dozens of brown and red algae ingredients found to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and a handful of studies that found algae compounds may actually help acne.
However, plenty of people do report breaking out from algae-containing products. Skin is individual and it's worth avoiding if yours has reacted to algae before.
Learn more about Ascophyllum Nodosum ExtractCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCi 42090 is a synthetic dye created from petroleum. It is used to give a bright blue color to cosmetics, medicine, and food.
Citric 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.
Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.
However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.
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 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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Rice Protein is protein extracted from rice. This ingredient is rich in antioxidants and peptides.
Studies show this ingredient may help with blocking the melanin creation process when skin is exposed to UV.
Methylchloroisothiazolinone, or MCI, is a synthetic preservative used to protect against the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi in water-based products.
MCI is commonly combined with methylisothiazolinone (MI) in a 3:1 ratio.
This ingredient is safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-sensitizing and concentrations must not exceed 7.5 ppm in leave-on products / 15 ppm in rinse-off products.
Unfortunately, this ingredient has a well-documented sensitization story. Studies spanning several decades have shown this ingredient + MI to cause skin irritation and allergies.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
This just means this ingredient is most likely non-sensitizing in rinse-off products unless you've been diagnosed with a contact allergy to isothiazolinones.
Learn more about MethylchloroisothiazolinoneMI is a preservative and known skin irritant. In the past, MI was used for its ability to prevent bacteria, yeast, and fungi growth in low doses.
Nowadays, you'll most likely see MI combined with Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI).
Since then, numerous studies have shown this ingredient to cause contact dermatitis, or skin irritation.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
Learn more about MethylisothiazolinoneParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. 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
