What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningWater, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Coco-Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Citric Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Disodium EDTA, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Artemisia Annua Extract
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice
Skin Conditioning
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Oil
Masking
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingQuillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Glucoside, Artemisia Annua Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Disodium EDTA, Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Oil, Hexylene Glycol, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Ascorbic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCoco-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-GlucosideDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene 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 ChlorideSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
