Skin science article
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub With 10% AHA Versus Necessaire The Body Wash
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub With 10% AHA Versus Necessaire The Body Wash What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Pumice Water Glycolic Acid Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate Lactic Acid Dimethicone Stearic Acid Cetearyl
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub With 10% AHA Versus Necessaire The Body Wash
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Pumice
Water
Glycolic Acid
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Lactic Acid
Dimethicone
Stearic Acid
Cetearyl Alcohol
Sodium Hydroxide
Palmitic Acid
Glycerin
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Sorbitol
Colloidal Oatmeal
Tocopherol
Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Bisabolol
Hydrogenated Coconut Acid
Xanthan Gum
Steareth-20
Steareth-21
Myristic Acid
Sodium Isethionate
Phenoxyethanol
Potassium Sorbate
Sodium Benzoate
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
EDTA
Pumice, Water, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Lactic Acid, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Sorbitol, Colloidal Oatmeal, Tocopherol, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Bisabolol, Hydrogenated Coconut Acid, Xanthan Gum, Steareth-20, Steareth-21, Myristic Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, EDTA
Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate
Coco-Glucoside
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Sodium Chloride
Niacinamide
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Caryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Caprylyl Glycol
Citric Acid
Chlorphenesin
Sodium Phytate
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Abies Sibirica Oil
Zingiber Officinale Root Oil
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Water, Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Chloride, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Caryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Phytate, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Abies Sibirica Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
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.
Camellia 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).
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.
Phenoxyethanol 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.
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.
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!