Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser versus Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash .

Last updated on August 04, 2023. Published on May 24, 2021

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

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 need an update? Let us know.

Face Cleanser Canadian Brand Canada
Face Cleanser American Brand United States

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

Shop

Buy Renewing SA Cleanser

Starts at $12.39
Shop

Buy Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash

Starts at $8.97

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
ph level
5.5
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

Notable Ingredients

BHA
PHA
Niacinamide
Ceramides (3)
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (5)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (5)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (4)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Vitamin C

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (5)
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Compared

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

Ingredients Side-by-side

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

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
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

CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.

2
What it does: Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

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

CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 5.

3
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

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.

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 Acid

CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.

4
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

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 EDTA

CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 22.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 12.

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

44% are loved or liked
4% have mixed ratings
44% are disliked or very disliked
7% have no rating yet
15% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
42% are disliked or very disliked
35% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser 27 ingredients

3.2 /5
from 24 ratings
Drying (3) Works Well (2) Great Value (2) Irritating (2) Broke Me Out (1) Light (1)
AshN.'s avatar

AshN.

3 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

(Using Since 2020) Similar to the other CeraVe cleanser it hasn't let me down. I took off one star just because I feel that this isn't really ideal...

(Using Since 2020) Similar to the other CeraVe cleanser it hasn't let me down. I took off one star just because I feel that this isn't really ideal for every day use, especially if you have dry, sensitive skin (despite it being advertised as gentle). It's fairly stripping due to all the actives in it, so I found it to be a bit irritating to me. But once I stopped using it everyday and switched to only using it every other evening, the irritation stopped all together and actually helped with my occasional comedonal acne.

CarlaTriegaardt's avatar

CarlaTriegaardt

1 year ago · Combination Skin
Review

Think twice befor using on dry/combination skin
I was super excited to start using this product because of all of the benefits but found it to be...

Think twice befor using on dry/combination skin
I was super excited to start using this product because of all of the benefits but found it to be slightly drying and irritating to my skin.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash 26 ingredients

2.2 /5
from 5 ratings
cgi's avatar

cgi

3 years ago · Oily Skin
Review

Completely stripped my skin.
I have oily skin and oil-free cleansers are a must for me, but this cleanser made my skin extremely dry. When I first...

Completely stripped my skin.
I have oily skin and oil-free cleansers are a must for me, but this cleanser made my skin extremely dry. When I first began to use this product, everything was fine. It didn’t irritate my skin at all, it just made my skin feel like a baby’s bottom. But over time, it started to irritate me and give me a lot of redness. I don’t have very sensitive skin but it’s like the product stripped me all of my natural oils and left me with skin that was dry as the Sahara Desert. Even after I topped it off with moisturizer, my skin was tight and peeling. The the scent of this cleanser it smells very good, but I prefer no-fragrance products because they irritate my skin less. I think that is what caused the bad experience, but I don’t really recommend this product. It works for some people but if you have skin like mine, don’t get it.

marissa2sensitive's avatar

marissa2sensitive

2 years ago · Oily Skin
Review

DRIED OUT MY SKIN SO BAD ( and im an oily skin person?! )
it greatly damaged my skin barrier.

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 20 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser.

See 20 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 47 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Acne Wash.

See 47 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...