Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser Versus Nø Cosmetics AHA/PHA Peeling Cleanser

Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser Versus Nø Cosmetics AHA/PHA Peeling Cleanser

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

This mild gel cleanser is mild enough to cleanse without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide

Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate

Sodium Chloride

Cetyl Alcohol

Stearyl Alcohol

PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Hydroxide

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Disodium EDTA

Isopropyl Alcohol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Butylene Glycol

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Isopropyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Sodium Carboxymethyl Starch

Decyl Glucoside

Maltooligosyl Glucoside

Lauryl Glucoside

Gluconolactone

Sodium Lactate

Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate

Pseudozyma Epicola/Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil/Olive Fruit Oil/Sunflower Seed Oil/(Angelica Gigas/Licorice/Lithospermum Erythrorhizon) Root Ferment Extract Filtrate

Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract

Panthenol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

Inulin

Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate

Glycerin

Lecithin

Xanthan Gum

Coconut Acid

Sodium Citrate

Propylene Glycol

Sorbic Acid

Sodium Benzoate

Potassium Sorbate

Lactic Acid

Water, Sodium Carboxymethyl Starch, Butylene Glycol, Decyl Glucoside, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Gluconolactone, Sodium Lactate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Pseudozyma Epicola/Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil/Olive Fruit Oil/Sunflower Seed Oil/(Angelica Gigas/Licorice/Lithospermum Erythrorhizon) Root Ferment Extract Filtrate, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Inulin, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Glycerin, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Chloride, Coconut Acid, Sodium Citrate, Propylene Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Lactic Acid

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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.

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.

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.

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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