Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser versus Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash .
Last updated on August 02, 2023. Published on July 18, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both face cleansers. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin and reducing pores
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, silicones or sulfates
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Face Cleanser
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).
Face Cleanser
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).
Price
Ingredient Info
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Contains Parabens
Ingredients in this product that are types of parabens:
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Not Reef Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not reef safe:
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 5 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 5 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Water • Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine • Glycerin • Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate • Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate • Niacinamide • Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Propylene Glycol • Ceramide NP • Ceramide AP • Ceramide EOP • Carbomer • Methylparaben • Sodium Chloride • Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate • Cholesterol • Disodium EDTA • Propylparaben • Citric Acid • Tetrasodium EDTA • Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid • Phytosphingosine • Xanthan Gum
Water • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Chloride • Peg-80 Sorbitan Laurate • Citric Acid • Disodium EDTA • C12-15 Alkyl Lactate • Benzalkonium Chloride • Parfum • Cocamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate • Glycerin • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract • Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract • Propylene Glycol • Sodium Hydroxide • CI 15985 • CI 16035
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterCeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 GlycerinCeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 12.
Propylene Glycol is an odorless, colorless liquid. As a humectant, it helps skin retain moisture. It also aids in delivering active ingredients.
Another role of this ingredient is preventing a product from melting or freezing. Propylene glycol also adds antimicrobrial properties to a product, elongating product lifespan.
This ingredient is considered an organic alcohol and commonly added into both cosmetics and foods.
Those with sensitive skin or conditions may deliver a rash when using this ingredient.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolCeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 15.
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 ChlorideCeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 4.
Disodium 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 EDTACeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 7.
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
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.
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 look more even.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 20.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 6.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Love hate relationship
I’ve been using it almost for year. It clears my skin and it doesn’t break me out but I think it’s too drying for me. I have sensitive combo skin and every time I use my skin feels slightly tight. The reason I was...
Love hate relationship
I’ve been using it almost for year. It clears my skin and it doesn’t break me out but I think it’s too drying for me. I have sensitive combo skin and every time I use my skin feels slightly tight. The reason I was using it for soo long is because I didn’t realised that tight feeling wasn’t normal. So maybe it’s better for more oily skin.
it is not for everyone
is not good for my skin type.
it is not for everyone
is not good for my skin type.
the one for normal to dry skin saved me. The bumps on my nose were gone
the one for normal to dry skin saved me. The bumps on my nose were gone
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Didn't help with acne
Didn't help with whitehead and cystic acne, but it did improve skin complexion and helped with blackheads. But it also left the skin very dry and tight.
Didn't help with acne
Didn't help with whitehead and cystic acne, but it did improve skin complexion and helped with blackheads. But it also left the skin very dry and tight.
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash.
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