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Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser Versus Biossance Squalane + Tea Tree Cleansing Gel

Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser Versus Biossance Squalane + Tea Tree Cleansing Gel This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry. This mild gel cleanser is mild enough to cleanse without leaving skin feeling tight o

Written by Peptide Therapy Guide Editorial Team
For education only

This guide cannot diagnose a condition or recommend a personal treatment plan. Discuss medical questions with a qualified professional.

Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser Versus Biossance Squalane + Tea Tree Cleansing Gel

This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

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

Glycerin

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Coco-Glucoside

Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate

Propanediol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Glycolipids

Linoleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Lauryl Glucoside

Cucumis Melo Cantalupensis Fruit Extract

Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Tocopherol

Citric Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Chloride

Polylysine

Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycolipids, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Lauryl Glucoside, Cucumis Melo Cantalupensis Fruit Extract, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Polylysine

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate

Squalane

Cocoyl Proline

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

Sodium Levulinate

Hydrolyzed Pea Protein

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Medicago Sativa Leaf Extract

Magnesium Chloride

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Gluconate

Caramel

Linalool

Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate, Squalane, Cocoyl Proline, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sodium Levulinate, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Medicago Sativa Leaf Extract, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Gluconate, Caramel, Citric Acid, Linalool

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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.

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 Hydroxysultaine is a synthetic cleansing agent, though it is derived from coconut oil.

It is used to enhance the texture of products by boosting lather and thickening the texture. As a cleanser, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is mild.

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.

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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About the author

Peptide Therapy Guide Editorial Team

Editorial team for Peptide Therapy Guide.

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