Skin science article
ma:nyo Pure & Deep Cleansing Foam Versus Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
ma:nyo Pure & Deep Cleansing Foam Versus Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin. What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Glycerin Water Myr
ma:nyo Pure & Deep Cleansing Foam Versus Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser
This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Water
Myristic Acid
Stearic Acid
Lauric Acid
Potassium Cocoate
Potassium Hydroxide
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Palmitic Acid
Sodium Hyaluronate
Butylene Glycol
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Water
Borago Officinalis Extract
Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
Salvia Sclarea Extract
Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract
Ceramide NP
Chamomilla Recutita Flower/Leaf Extract
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract
Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract
Rosa Hybrid Flower Extract
1,2-Hexanediol
Coco-Glucoside
Glyceryl Stearate
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Oleic Acid
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Ethylhexylglycerin
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract
Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract
Arachidic Acid
Sodium Phytate
Polyquaternium-7
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Citric Acid
Potassium Sorbate
Sodium Benzoate
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Glycerin, Water, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Cocoate, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Water, Borago Officinalis Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract, Ceramide NP, Chamomilla Recutita Flower/Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Rosa Hybrid Flower Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Oleic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Arachidic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Polyquaternium-7, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Prunus Mume Fruit Water
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract
Sodium Chloride
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Oryza Sativa Extract
Prunus Mume Fruit Extract
Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Coconut Acid
Caprylyl Glycol
Sodium Isethionate
Hydroxyacetophenone
Dextrin
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Propylene Glycol Laurate
Sodium Citrate
Disodium EDTA
Water, Prunus Mume Fruit Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Coconut Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Isethionate, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dextrin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Propylene Glycol Laurate, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA
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.
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
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
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.
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.
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract is also known as Lotus Flower Extract and it's mainly valued as an antioxidant + soothing ingredient for skincare.
It's rich in polyphenols and flavonoids that protect skin against radical damage from UV rays and pollution.
Lab studies on human skin show it calms inflammation by reducing inflammatory signals in skin cells without causing cell damage.
Cell and formulation studies also point to whitening/brightening + anti-wrinkle effects; the extracts from the leaf, seed, and flower showed measurable elastase (wrinkle-related enzyme) and tyrosinase (pigment related enzyme) inhibition.
A cream containing lotus extract also no significant irritation and stayed stable over a month of storage.
Typical usage in cosmetics is usually on the lower end (~0.5-5%) depending on the formula.
Allergy-wise, this ingredient is considered low risk and often included in products made for sensitive/irritated skin. But like any plant extract, it carries a small possibility of contact allergy in people sensitive to plant extracts.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
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!