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Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 1 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens or silicones

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Paula's Choice Clear Acne Body Spray
Paula's Choice Clear Acne Body Spray
Body Treatment
American Brand United States
Differin Acne Clearing Body Scrub
Differin Acne Clearing Body Scrub
Body Scrub
American Brand United States

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Notable Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Clear Acne Body Spray
Lauric Acid Cleansing, Emulsifying
4 / 1
3 Concerns

Lauric Acid is a fatty acid or lipid. About half of fatty acids in coconut oil is lauric acid.

4 Com. / 1 Irr.
Very Disliked Full details ->
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Bleaching, Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Good for Dark Spots

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.

Berberis Vulgaris Bark Extract Skin Conditioning

Berberis Vulgaris Bark Extract is from the Barberry plant.

Unknown Full details ->
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate Humectant, Skin Conditioning
3 Benefits

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate comes from licorice root.

Panthenol Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Helps reduce irritation

Panthenol (also referred to as pro-vitamin B5) is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Sodium Hyaluronate Humectant, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Allantoin Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing
0 / 0
3 Benefits

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Salicylic Acid Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
BHA  •  Preservative  •  5 Benefits  •  4 Concerns

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Glycerin Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
0 / 0
2 Benefits

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Acne Clearing Body Scrub
Water Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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.

Acrylates Copolymer

Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.

Disliked Full details ->
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.

Butylene Glycol Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning
1 / 0

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

1 Com. / 0 Irr.
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin  •  2 Concerns

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter is a plant lipid from the fruit of the Shea Tree. It is an effective skin hydrator and emollient.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Masking, Skin Conditioning

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine Cleansing
May worsen Eczema

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

Disliked Full details ->
Coco-Betaine Cleansing, Skin Conditioning

Coco-Betaine is the natural version of Cocamidopropyl Betaine. It is often derived from coconuts.

Disliked Full details ->
Coconut Acid Cleansing, Emollient, Emulsifying
Not safe for Fungal Acne

Coconut Acid isn't fungal acne safe.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Disodium EDTA

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

Disliked Full details ->
Parfum Masking, Perfuming
Fragrance  •  2 Concerns

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Glycerin Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
0 / 0
2 Benefits

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Glycol Distearate Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne

Glycol Distearate serves as a pearlizing or opacifying agent in cosmetic products.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Glycolic Acid Buffering
AHA  •  7 Benefits  •  2 Concerns

Glycolic Acid is arguably the most famous AHA with research to back up its benefits. Its main role is to peel the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Emulsion Stabilising

This ingredient is a semi-synthetic polymer created from cellulose. In case you need a refresher, cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls.

Unknown Full details ->
Kaolin Abrasive, Absorbent, Cosmetic Colorant
0 / 0
Exfoliant  •  2 Benefits

Kaolin is a clay. It is used for oil control and to help minimize pores. Like other clays, kaolin has the ability to absorb excess sebum or oil. This can help clean out pores and mattify the skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Laureth-4 Emulsifying, Masking
5 / 4
May worsen Oily Skin

Laureth-4 is created by reacting ethylene oxide with Lauryl Alcohol. It is a surfactant and emulsifier.

5 Com. / 4 Irr.
Unknown Full details ->
Lauroyl/Myristoyl Methyl Glucamide Emollient, Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Lauroyl/Myristoyl Methyl Glucamide.

Unknown Full details ->
Mannitol Humectant, Masking, Moisturising

Mannitol is a sugar alcohol. It is a humectant and moisturizes the skin. In vitro (not tested on a living organism), mannitol displays antioxidant properties.

Microcrystalline Cellulose Absorbent, Emulsion Stabilising, Stabilising

Microcrystalline Cellulose is another name for refined wood pulp. It is used as an emulsifier and mattifying ingredient. As an emulsifier, it helps keep ingredients together.

Olive Oil Peg-8 Esters Emollient, Emulsifying
Oil  •  Not safe for Fungal Acne

Olive Oil Peg-8 Esters is an oil and isn't fungal acne safe.

Unknown Full details ->
Paraffin Perfuming, Skin Conditioning
Fragrance  •  2 Concerns

Paraffin is a solid created from petroleum. The term 'paraffin' can also refer to either petroleum Jelly or mineral oil.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Polyquaternium-39

We don't have a description for Polyquaternium-39.

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil Skin Conditioning
3 / 0
Oil  •  Not safe for Fungal Acne

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil comes from the sweet almond, a tree native to Iran. This oil has no fragrance and is non-volatile.

3 Com. / 0 Irr.
Disliked Full details ->
Retinyl Palmitate Skin Conditioning
1-3 / 1-3
Retinoid  •  7 Benefits  •  3 Concerns

Retinyl palmitate is a form of retinoid. Retinoids are the superstar class of anti-aging ingredients that include tretinoin and retinol.

1-3 Com. / 1-3 Irr.
Silica Abrasive, Absorbent
Exfoliant  •  2 Concerns

Silica is a mineral naturally found in our skin. It helps to thicken and smooth the texture of a product. It also acts as an agent for other ingredients by increasing the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.

Disliked Full details ->
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate Cleansing, Foaming
May cause irritation

Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate is a cleansing agent made from a mixture of long chain sulfonate salts. It can also help produce foam.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Sodium Chloride Masking
3 Concerns

Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Sodium Hydroxide Buffering

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.

Sodium Sulfate
Sulfate

Sodium Sulfate is a type of sulfate.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter Emollient, Masking, Skin Conditioning
4 / 0
3 Concerns

Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter comes from the Theobroma cacoa, or Cacao tree. Cacao trees are native to tropical landscapes.

4 Com. / 0 Irr.
Very Disliked Full details ->
Tocopheryl Acetate Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Vitamin E  •  Antioxidant  •  Helps brighten skin

Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Ultramarines
0 / 0

Ultramarines are a group of synthetic pigments. They can be either blue, green, pink, red, or violet.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Ingredient Ratings

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

Clear Acne Body Spray
7
1
1
liked
mixed
disliked
not rated
Acne Clearing Body Scrub
9
5
15
4
liked
mixed
disliked
not rated

When to use

9 Routines
33% use in am
67% use in pm
89% use every day
1 Routine
0% use in am
100% use in pm
100% use every day

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Paula's Choice Clear Acne Body Spray 9 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
Expensive (1)

Differin Acne Clearing Body Scrub 33 ingredients

Acne Clearing Body Scrub hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now