Beauty of Joseon Low pH Rice Face and Body Cleansing Bar Versus Kojie San Skin Lightening Kojic Acid Soap

Beauty of Joseon Low pH Rice Face and Body Cleansing Bar Versus Kojie San Skin Lightening Kojic Acid Soap

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Zea Mays Starch

Water

Glycerin

Decyl Glucoside

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Cocos Nucifera Oil

Xanthan Gum

Citric Acid

Sesamum Indicum Seed Powder

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Butylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Zea Mays Starch, Water, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sesamum Indicum Seed Powder, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Hydroxide

Parfum

Kojic Acid

Glucose

Chondrus Crispus

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Cocamide DEA

Paraffinum Liquidum

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

CI 15985

CI 19140

BHT

Cocos Nucifera Oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Kojic Acid, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Glucose, Chondrus Crispus, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cocamide DEA, Paraffinum Liquidum, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, CI 15985, CI 19140, BHT

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

This ingredient is also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.

The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.

A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.

Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.

It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.

Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.

Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.

Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".

Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).

The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.

Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).

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.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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