Versus

Aveeno Calm + Restore Redness Relief Foaming Cleanser Versus Kiehl's Calendula Deep Clean Foaming Face Wash

Face Cleanser
Face Cleanser
American Brand United States
American Brand United States

Updated on July 18, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both fungal acne (malassezia) safe and reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin and brightening skin

Free From

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

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

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
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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
Masking

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.

There is much debate on whether this ingredient is comedogenic. The short answer - comedogenic ratings don't tell the whole story. Learn more about comegodenic ratings here.

The concensus about this ingredient causing acne seems to be divided. Research is needed to understand if this ingredient does cause acne.

Scrubs may use salt as the primary exfoliating ingredient.

Learn more about Sodium Chloride
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

When to use

44 Routines
39% use in am
61% use in pm
91% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
293 Routines
48% use in am
52% use in pm
96% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Aveeno Calm + Restore Redness Relief Foaming Cleanser 13 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 1 rating
Drying (1) Great Value (1) Irritating (1)
uractualmom's avatar

Jenn

9 months ago
Review

I thought I liked this cleanser but it was too drying for my skin. I couldn’t even find a moisturizer that was able to subdue the dryness of my skin when using this cleanser regularly (1-2 times per day)

#great value
#drying
#irritating

Kiehl's Calendula Deep Clean Foaming Face Wash 18 ingredients

4.6 /5
from 7 ratings
Expensive (4) Light Scent (3) Works Well (3)
fmlcrps's avatar

fmlcrps

9 months ago
Review

Been using this for years before I moved on to another product because I was trying to cut my budget on skincare and this cleanser has became overpriced over the years. I have oily skin and my husband has normal to dry skin. Both of us loved this cleanser because it’s not to drying and cleans well.

#expensive
#works well
shoppingaddict's avatar

shoppingaddict

8 months ago
Review

i like this face wash it works very well and keeps my skin clean

#expensive
#light
#works well