Updated on June 07, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 4 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin and sensitive skin
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 needs an update? Let us know.
Ingredient Info
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser 10 ingredients
Prequel Gleanser Non-Drying Glycerin Cleanser For Face And Body 20 ingredients
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser 10 ingredients
Prequel Gleanser Non-Drying Glycerin Cleanser For Face And Body 20 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
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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:
Concerns
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:
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.
3 Concerns
Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is mainly used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent the separation of oils and products. Due to its composition, it can also be used to thicken a product or help create foam.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It can be found naturally in our skin and hair.
6 Benefits
Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.
Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from the fatty acids of coconut oil. It is a surfactant and helps with cleansing the skin.
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.
4 Benefits 2 Concerns
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
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.
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.
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.
Inulin is a polysaccharide (carbohydrate) with prebiotic and antioxidant properties.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Oatmeal flour is created by grinding down the kernels of oats. Oatmeal helps sooth, hydrate, and protect the skin.
Polyquaternium-10 is an ammonium salt of hydroxyethylcellulose. It is a white and granular powder used as a film-former and anti-static agent.
4 Benefits 2 Concerns
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps prevent unwanted effects and reactions from a product. These metal ions may come from water and are found in miniscule amounts.
Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of fatty acids. These fatty acids usually are a mixture of phosphoric acid's choline ester connected to stearic, oleic, and palmitic acids. Most lecithins are created from plant ingredients scuh as sunflower.
Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
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.
Glycerin 50%, Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Chloride, Inulin, Dihydroxypropyl Arginine Hcl, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Glyceryl Glucoside, Polyquaternium-10, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide
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 GlycerinXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan GumCitric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
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 even out skin tone.
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.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidIngredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
When to use
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser 10 ingredients
Prequel Gleanser Non-Drying Glycerin Cleanser For Face And Body 20 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser 10 ingredients
starstellastar_407
This is HORRIBLE, soooo bad. Broke me out so bad. It is mega comedogenic. The ingredients are literally known to cause acne.
This is not comedogenic, the ingredients do not show any comedogenic ingredients, some people don't suit it because it's too gentle.
Cetearyl Alcohol is comedogenic
Prequel Gleanser Non-Drying Glycerin Cleanser For Face And Body 20 ingredients
Clover
Best cleanser for dehydrated skin!
With 50% glycerin, this is the best cleanser I’ve found for dehydrated skin. It’s smooth, gentle, and fragrance...
Best cleanser for dehydrated skin!
With 50% glycerin, this is the best cleanser I’ve found for dehydrated skin. It’s smooth, gentle, and fragrance free. The texture is a little slimy which is fun but it still foams up very nicely. Plus, this comes in a huge 13.5 oz bottle, so if you are only using this for your face then it’s gonna last you a long time. However, personally I’ve found I actually prefer this as a body wash. That’s not to say that I don’t like this cleanser for my face, it’s just that the skin on my face suffers more from dryness than dehydration so I prefer a cleanser that delivers moisture as well as hydration to the skin. What I mean by that is that this cleanser contains glycerin which is a great hydrating ingredient that delivers water to the skin (ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid, etc, are hydrating), but it doesn’t really moisturize my skin by locking in water to help prevent transepidermal water loss (ingredients like petroleum jelly, shea butter, and some types of oils like jojoba oil, argan oil, etc, are moisturizing). Having said that, if you’re dealing with dehydrated skin than this is a cleanser that I think you must check out, but if it’s dryness you are dealing with I suggest looking for a cleanser that is labeled as creamy or milky and isn’t oil free (my moisturizing cleanser recommendations would be the Hero Cosmetics Gentle Milky Cleanser or the Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk Cleanser). For dehydrated skin, this is easily a five star product so I hope you give it a try if it sounds like something you’d enjoy. This product is definitely gonna remain a staple in my body routine.
