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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser versus Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment .

Last updated on July 19, 2023. Published on February 14, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens, oils, parabens or silicones

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 American Brand United States
Exfoliator French Brand France

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).

Exfoliator

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

Price

Shop

Buy Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser

Starts at $9.97
Shop

Buy SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment

Starts at $2.12

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
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

Benefits

Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Acne Fighting

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Exfoliators (2)

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (3)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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

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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.

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

Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment 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

Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment contains this as ingredient number 5.

3
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

Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 10.

Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment contains this as ingredient number 17.

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

22% are loved or liked
17% have mixed ratings
56% are disliked or very disliked
6% have no rating yet
21% are loved or liked
16% have mixed ratings
47% are disliked or very disliked
16% have no rating yet

Usage

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

When to use

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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Cetaphil Gentle Clear Clarifying Acne Cream Cleanser.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 10 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment.

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