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Skin science article

Native Body Wash Versus Paula's Choice All Over Hair & Body Shampoo

Native Body Wash Versus Paula's Choice All Over Hair & Body Shampoo What's inside Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Water Cocamidopropyl Betaine Sodium Chloride Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate Sodium Salicylate Sodium Benzoate Cit

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Native Body Wash Versus Paula's Choice All Over Hair & Body Shampoo

What's inside

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Sodium Chloride

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Sodium Salicylate

Sodium Benzoate

Citric Acid

Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Salicylate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Ammonium Laureth Sulfate

Panthenol

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein

Polyquaternium-10

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

Disodium EDTA

Sorbic Acid

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Polyquaternium-10, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid

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.

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.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.

This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.

Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.

While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.

Chances 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.

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!

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The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
  4. 04Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
  5. 05Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
  6. 06Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
  7. 07Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
  8. 08Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
  9. 09Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
  10. 10Though 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.
  11. 11Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
  12. 12It 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.
  13. 13On 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.
  14. 14Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
  15. 15You'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.
  16. 16Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
  17. 17Safety-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.
  18. 18Adverse 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.
  19. 19Sodium 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.
  20. 20In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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