The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser Versus Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser

The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser Versus Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser

This cream cleanser uses mild cleansing ingredients, but contains alcohol that may feel drying for some.

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

Water

Glycerin

Coco-Glucoside

Betaine

Cetearyl Alcohol

Stearic Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Benzyl Alcohol

Xanthan Gum

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Inulin

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium Hydroxide

Dehydroacetic Acid

Polyquaternium-10

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Lecithin

Water, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Inulin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroacetic Acid, Polyquaternium-10, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Sorbeth-230 Tetraoleate

Polysorbate 20

Sodium Chloride

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract

Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Medicago Sativa Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Panthenol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Decyl Glucoside

Sorbitan Laurate

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Gluconolactone

Maltodextrin

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Gardenia Jasminoides Fruit Extract

Parfum

Sodium Glycolate

Sodium Formate

Hexyl Cinnamal

Linalool

Limonene

CI 75810

Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sorbeth-230 Tetraoleate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Glycerin, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Decyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Laurate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Gluconolactone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Gardenia Jasminoides Fruit Extract, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Glycolate, Sodium Formate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene, CI 75810

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.

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.

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.

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

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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