Skin science article
Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil Versus Round Lab Soybean Cleansing Oil
Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil Versus Round Lab Soybean Cleansing Oil This oil-based cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry. This oil-based makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and daily buildup. What's insi
Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil Versus Round Lab Soybean Cleansing Oil
This oil-based cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.
This oil-based makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and daily buildup.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycine Soja Oil
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate
Isododecane
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil
Hydrogenated Coconut Oil
Octyldodecanol
Polybutene
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Water
Tocopherol
Salvia Officinalis Oil
Panax Ginseng Seed Oil
Artemisia Vulgaris Oil
Ocimum Basilicum Oil
Corylus Avellana Seed Oil
Nigella Sativa Seed Oil
Butylene Glycol
Panax Ginseng Berry Extract
Glycerin
1,2-Hexanediol
Methylpropanediol
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Ethyl Hexanediol
Panax Ginseng Extract
Panax Ginseng Leaf/Stem Extract
Ethylhexylglycerin
Glycine Soja Oil, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Isododecane, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Octyldodecanol, Polybutene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Water, Tocopherol, Salvia Officinalis Oil, Panax Ginseng Seed Oil, Artemisia Vulgaris Oil, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Corylus Avellana Seed Oil, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Panax Ginseng Berry Extract, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Methylpropanediol, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethyl Hexanediol, Panax Ginseng Extract, Panax Ginseng Leaf/Stem Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Glycine Max Oil
Squalane
Ceramide NP
Phytosphingosine
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Caprylyl Glycol
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Cymbopogon Martini Oil
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Limonene
Linalool
Geraniol
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Glycine Max Oil, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glycerin, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Tocopherol, Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Glycerin (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.
This ingredient is also known as olive oil. It has been used in skincare for centuries and science largely backs up its reputation as a nourishing emollient.
The main components of olive oil are oleic acid (55-83%), linoleic acid (3.5-20%), and palmitic acid (7-20%). Oleic acid promotes skin regeneration and helps regulate inflammatory responses.
Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.
Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.
It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).
Because it has a 2-3 on the comedogenic scale, it is a moderate risk for acne-prone skin. However, the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.
Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.
Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate is a surfactant and emulsifier.
This ingredient is a tetraester from oleic acid and polyethylene glycol ether of sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it helps ingredients such as oil and water mix together. This allows the dirt and oils in your skin to be washed away.
One study found pumpkin oil containing Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate helped hydrate the skin and did not cause any irritation.
Tocopherol 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.