Updated on June 19, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain BHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates
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
CARE:NEL Cicavita B5 Salicylic Acid Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
CARE:NEL Cicavita B5 Salicylic Acid Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Concerns
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Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
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Ingredients Side-by-side
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.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Palmitic Acid is a fatty acid found in our skin. In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It is a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.
Lauric Acid is a fatty acid or lipid. About half of fatty acids in coconut oil is lauric acid.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Glyceryl Stearate is a mix of glycerin and stearic acid.
Centella Asiatica Extract (Centella) is derived from an herb native to Southeast Asia. It is famous for its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
Beeswax is natural wax produced by honey bees and can be synthetically created. It consists mainly of fatty acid esters and long-chain alcohols.
This ingredient is a preservative and inhibits the growth of fungi, certain bacteria, yeast, and mold.
2 Concerns
Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Tranexamic Acid is best used for treating hyperpigmentation, discoloration, and melasma. It can also help build a stronger skin barrier.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It can be found naturally in our skin and hair.
2 Benefits
Gluconolactone is a PHA. PHAs are a great gentle alternative to traditional AHAs.
Polyquaternium-7 is a light to clear colored liquid. It is commonly found in haircare products for its film-forming and anti-static properties.
Good for Oily Skin
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract comes from the Tea Tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, Myrtaceae. This tea tree is native to Australia.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
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.
Capric Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Creating capric acid involves the oxidation of decanol, a primary alcohol. This ingredient has perfuming, masking, and antibacterial properties.
1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
Water, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Centella Asiatica Extract 1%, Beeswax, Potassium Benzoate, Parfum, Tranexamic Acid, Panthenol 0.1%, Gluconolactone, Polyquaternium-7, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract 0.1%, Disodium EDTA, Salicylic Acid 0.1%, Capric Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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.
Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.
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.
This gentle cleansing and foaming ingredient is known for leaving a smooth feeling in skin and hair. It is made using coconut oil.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil comes from hydrogenated castor oil. It is a solubilizer and emulsifier.
Polysorbate 80 is a surfactant and emulsifier. It is used to keep ingredients together, and prevent oils and waters from separating.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
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.
Lauric Acid is a fatty acid or lipid. About half of fatty acids in coconut oil is lauric acid.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Salix Alba Bark Water is created by distilling parts from the white willow tree. The white willow tree is native to Europe and Central Asia.
1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
Glycol Distearate serves as a pearlizing or opacifying agent in cosmetic products.
Fragrance Oil Good for Oily Skin
This tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the Tea Tree plant. Tea tree oil has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
4 Benefits 2 Concerns
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
Water, Myristic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Ethyl Hexanediol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citrus Limon Fruit Oil, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Stearic Acid, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polysorbate 80, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Salicylic Acid, Lauric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Salix Alba Bark Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA, Glycol Distearate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 WaterGlycerin 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 GlycerinMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidStearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.
As an emollient, stearic acid helps soften skin. It aids the skin's protective barrier by preventing water loss. It also provides a gentle cleansing effect without stripping away natural oils.
Stearic acid may also be used to enhance the texture of products. It can add volume and stabilize ingredients such as water and oil. This can help water and oil ingredients from separating.
Sources of stearic acid include animal or vegetable fats/oils such as coconut or shea. It can be naturally found in butter, cocoa butter, shea butter, vegetable fats, and animal tallow.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidLauric Acid is a fatty acid or lipid. About half of fatty acids in coconut oil is lauric acid.
This ingredient helps hydrate and sooth skin. As a humectant, it helps trap moisture. It also aids in cleaning and enhancing the texture of products.
Emerging studies show Lauric Acid to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial property helps strengthen the skin barrier by fighting off bad bacteria.
Lauric acid may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal acne, safe.
Learn more about Lauric AcidPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideDisodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTASalicylic 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.
This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.
Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.
Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.
It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.
In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.
While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.
If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.
Learn more about Salicylic Acid1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.
In products that are water-based, this ingredient can help stabilize perfumes and fragrances. It can also help make the texture of products softer and more smooth.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.
Ingredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
When to use
CARE:NEL Cicavita B5 Salicylic Acid Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
CARE:NEL Cicavita B5 Salicylic Acid Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients
YSLDave
Too Harsh for the skin
PH Level is wayy too high on this, it feel like you washed your face with soap, i only use it at night with double cleanse...
Too Harsh for the skin
PH Level is wayy too high on this, it feel like you washed your face with soap, i only use it at night with double cleanse on exfoliation days, but i will not cop another bootle for sure
