CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser - Australia Versus Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser

See how these products line up with your preferences

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia versus Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser .

Last updated on January 29, 2024. Published on August 03, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 7 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, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, 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.

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CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser

Face Cleanser Canadian Brand Canada

Face Cleanser British Brand United Kingdom

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

Price

Ingredient Info

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

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser 24 ingredients

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser 17 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

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser 24 ingredients

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser 17 ingredients

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

Irritating

Rosacea

Eczema

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Benefits

Hydrating

Good For Oily Skin

Redness Reducing

Reduces Irritation

Reduces Large Pores

Scar Healing (2)

Acne Fighting (2)

Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)

Acne Trigger

Irritating

Rosacea (2)

Eczema (2)

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Ingredients Compared

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

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser 24 ingredients

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser 17 ingredients

Water • Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate • Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine • Glycerin • Niacinamide • Gluconolactone • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate • Ceramide NP • Ceramide AP • Ceramide EOP • Carbomer • Calcium Gluconate • Salicylic Acid • Sodium Benzoate • Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate • Cholesterol • Phenoxyethanol • Disodium EDTA • Tetrasodium EDTA • Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid • Phytosphingosine • Xanthan Gum • Ethylhexylglycerin

Water • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Decyl Glucoside • Glycerin • Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate • Salicylic Acid • Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate • Cocamide Mea • Sodium Chloride • Peg-150 Distearate • Sodium Hydroxide • Allantoin • Sodium Benzoate • Phenoxyethanol • Citric Acid • Tetrasodium EDTA • Zinc PCA

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

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia contains this as ingredient number 1.

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Foaming, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Disliked

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It is a surfactant derived from sarcosine, and a common source is coconut oil. As a surfactant, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate helps lift dirts, oil, and other molecules to be washed away. In leave-on products, this ingredient is used as an emulsifier. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients such as oils and waters from separating.

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is also commonly found as a foaming agent in shampoo, toothpaste, and shaving foam. It is amphiphilic, meaning it loves both water and fats.

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia contains this as ingredient number 2.

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

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

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia contains this as ingredient number 4.

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.

Salicylic Acid

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 SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia contains this as ingredient number 14.

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.

Sodium Benzoate

What it does: Masking, Preservative

Community Rating: Disliked

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.

Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.

Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.

Sodium Benzoate is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.

Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.

We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia contains this as ingredient number 15.

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 13.

Phenoxyethanol

What it does: Preservative

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia contains this as ingredient number 18.

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.

Tetrasodium EDTA

What it does:

Community Rating: Disliked

Tetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.

Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser Australia contains this as ingredient number 20.

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.

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

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser 24 ingredients

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser 17 ingredients

50% are loved or liked

4% have mixed ratings

42% are disliked or very disliked

4% have no rating yet

29% are loved or liked

12% have mixed ratings

47% are disliked or very disliked

12% have no rating yet

Usage

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

When to use

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser 24 ingredients

Boots Ingredients Salicylic Acid Cleanser 17 ingredients

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser 24 ingredients

3.6 /5

from 12 ratings

Works Well (4) Light (3) Great Value (3) Broke Me Out (2) Irritating (2) Doesn't Work (2)

Samantha_628

5 months ago · Combination Skin

Review

Unbelievably good! I used this last night and it made my very sensitive skin quite red. However I need a cleanser to deal with my clogged pores and...

Unbelievably good! I used this last night and it made my very sensitive skin quite red. However I need a cleanser to deal with my clogged pores and was reassured by the beneficial skin barrier ingredients. I also followed it with a soothing toner and lots of ceramides. Woke up and the redness is gone, and my clogged pores are visibly faded. Overnight! No new little breakouts, either. Highly recommend!