Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser versus Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser .
Published on March 04, 2022
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain BHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain common allergens and 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
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
Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser 11 ingredients
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser 19 ingredients
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 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are 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 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are 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
Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser 11 ingredients
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser 19 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients 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:
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:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient 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:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser 11 ingredients
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser 19 ingredients
Salicylic Acid 2% • Water • Cetyl Alcohol • Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether • Glycolic Acid • Glycerin • Polysorbate 60 • Steareth-21 • C12-15 Alkyl Lactate • Cetyl Lactate • Potassium Cetyl Phosphate • Sodium Hydroxide • Xanthan Gum • Cocamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate • Disodium EDTA • Menthol • Parfum • Benzalkonium Chloride • Panthenol
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 WaterClean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Cetyl Alcohol is not related to SD alcohol, denatured alcohol, or ethyl alcohol. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Its main roles are:
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholClean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.
We don't have a description for Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether.
Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.
We don't have a description for Steareth-21.
Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.
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 AcidClean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is the potassium salt of a mixture. This mixture consists of the esters from phosphoricacid and cetyl alcohol.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is an emulsifier and cleansing agent. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
As a cleansing agent, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate helps gather oils, dirts, and pollutants from your skin. This makes it easier to rinse them away with water.
Learn more about Potassium Cetyl PhosphateClean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.
Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumClean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 17.
Menthol is a compound found in mint plants, such as peppermint. In its pure form, it is a clear crystalline substance.
Menthol is known for its cooling sensation; however, the cooling is actually from your skin being sensitized. Menthol can worsen rosacea. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Menthol also has antimicrobial properties.
Learn more about MentholClean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 10.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.
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 EDTAClean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser 11 ingredients
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser 19 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Clean & Clear Oil-Free Deep Action Cream Facial Cleanser 11 ingredients
Neutrogena Skin Polishing Acne Cleanser 19 ingredients
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