Versus

Apivita Natural Cosmetics Cleansing Gel Versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser For Oily Skin

Face Cleanser
Face Cleanser
Greek Brand Greece
French Brand France

Updated on November 01, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

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

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Benefits

Concerns

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Cleansing Gel

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

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. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Buffering, Masking

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and even out skin tone.

If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid
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.

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.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide
Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient 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.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

When to use

11 Routines
45% use in am
55% use in pm
100% use every day
2,092 Routines
45% use in am
55% use in pm
98% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Apivita Natural Cosmetics Cleansing Gel 31 ingredients

Cleansing Gel hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser For Oily Skin 14 ingredients

2.5 /5
from 28 ratings
Drying (10) Irritating (9) Expensive (5)
wonyonnieoilygirl's avatar

wonyonnieoilygirl

2 years ago
Review

Too much work
My skin is a combination type so I struggle with a lot of oil production BUT dehydration-prone type. So, I was actually skeptical about this product. However, it did the job for me just fine at the end? It actually reduced all the redness around my T-Zone. Also it is really effective against new appearing pimples. Like, give it two days and it will heal just because of this cleanser. Show more

ksjsj's avatar

ksjsj

1 year ago
Review

Tried this before I realised my skin was dry, when I thought having acne = oily skin. Despite that, I don't think any cleanser should be this drying and irritating.

#expensive
#drying
#broke me out
#irritating