Face cleansers are used to remove makeup, dead skin cells, pollutants, oil, dirt, and/or clean out pores on the skin. Face cleansers may specialize in having one function (exa. just removing makeup) or may have multiple functions (exa. Removing makeup and cleaning pores).

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.

Price

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Buy Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser

Starts at $6.39

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Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser 24 ingredients

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub 20 ingredients

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser 24 ingredients

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub 20 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

Exfoliators

Benefits

Hydrating

Brightening

Concerns

Drying

Irritating

Rosacea (2)

Eczema (6)

Notable Ingredients

Exfoliators

Benefits

Hydrating

Brightening

Concerns

Drying

Irritating

Rosacea (2)

Eczema (2)

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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser 24 ingredients

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub 20 ingredients

Water • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Acrylates Copolymer • Peg-80 Sorbitan Laurate • Di-Ppg-2 Myreth-10 Adipate • Peg-16 Soy Sterol • Glycine Soja Protein • Coco-Glucoside • Glyceryl Oleate • Glycerin • Soyamidopropyl Betaine • Parfum • DMDM Hydantoin • Lauryl Methyl Gluceth-10 Hydroxypropyldimonium Chloride • Methylparaben • Tetrasodium EDTA • Sodium Hydroxide • Polyquaternium-10 • Silica • Citric Acid • Butylene Glycol • Mica • Titanium Dioxide

Water • Glycerin • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Microcrystalline Cellulose • Cellulose • Lauryl Glucoside • Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer • Phenoxyethanol • Parfum • Methylparaben • Microcrystalline Wax • Sodium Hydroxide • Menthol • Disodium EDTA • Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate • Ultramarines • Hc Red No. 3 • Talc • Blue 1 Lake • Yellow 11

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Water

What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub contains this as ingredient number 1.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Foaming

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a foaming, cleansing, and emulsifying ingredient. It is created from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. SLES is not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate. It is much milder and less likely to irritate.

SLES helps create foam in personal products. It also prevents ingredients from separating, helping to elongate the shelf life.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a type of sulfate. It can be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient if you have concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub contains this as ingredient number 3.

Glycerin

What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent

Community Rating: 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

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub contains this as ingredient number 2.

Parfum

What it does: Masking, Perfuming

Community Rating: Very Disliked

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.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term '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. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

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

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

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

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 13.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub contains this as ingredient number 9.

Methylparaben

What it does: Preservative

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Methylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.

Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.

Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.

The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.

Learn more about Methylparaben

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub contains this as ingredient number 10.

Sodium Hydroxide

What it does: Buffering

Community Rating: Mixed

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

Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub contains this as ingredient number 12.

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