Skin science article
Paula's Choice Gentle Touch Makeup Remover Versus Philosophy Purity Made Simple Waterproof Makeup Remover
Paula's Choice Gentle Touch Makeup Remover Versus Philosophy Purity Made Simple Waterproof Makeup Remover This micellar makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and daily buildup. This oil-based makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen
Paula's Choice Gentle Touch Makeup Remover Versus Philosophy Purity Made Simple Waterproof Makeup Remover
This micellar makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and daily buildup.
This oil-based makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and daily buildup.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Cyclotetrasiloxane
Cyclopentasiloxane
Isohexadecane
Butylene Glycol
Glycerin
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Bisabolol
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
Poloxamer 184
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Allantoin
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Sodium Chloride
Disodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Benzalkonium Chloride
Benzyl Alcohol
Water, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isohexadecane, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Bisabolol, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Poloxamer 184, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Allantoin, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Benzalkonium Chloride, Benzyl Alcohol
Caprylyl Methicone
Propylene Glycol
Phenoxyethanol
Sodium Benzoate
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
CI 19140
Cyclopentasiloxane, Water, Caprylyl Methicone, Propylene Glycol, Isohexadecane, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, CI 19140
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Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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.
Cyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a lightweight silicone that mostly acts as an emollient and solvent in cosmetics. Its the reason your products feel silky, fast-spreading, and non-greasy.
Since D5 is volatile, it does its thing and then evaporates off the skin quickly.
The safety profile of this ingredient is reassuring; the US CIR Expert Panel concluded D5 is safe as used in cosmetics and Health Canada concluded that D5 is not harmful to human health or the environment as currently used in cosmetics
There's a study that people mention about D5 in a rat study showing tumors. This study is related to long-term inhalation of high D5 levels.
Regulatory bodies have judged this study to be not applicable in topical skincare since skin absorption of D5 is very low and we're not really inhaling huge amounts of D5.
The only restriction for this ingredient is environmental. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) restricted D5 in wash-off cosmetics at or above 0.1% due to their persistence in water.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
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.
Isohexadecane is added to enhance texture, emulsify, and to help cleanse. It is an isoparrafin. It is a component of petrolatum.
Due to its large size, Isohexadecane is not absorbed by the skin. Instead, it sits on top and acts as an emollient. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by trapping moisture within.
Isohexadecane is often used in products designed to help oily skin. It is lightweight and non-greasy while helping to moisturize. When mixed with silicones, it gives a product a silky feel.
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!