This salicylic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Salicylic Acid to clear breakouts and unclog pores.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingKaolin
AbrasiveGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingPEG-100 Stearate
SurfactantPropanediol
SolventCoconut Acid
CleansingButylene Glycol
HumectantCharcoal Powder
AbrasiveSodium Astrocaryum Murumuruate
EmollientBrassica Oleracea Italica Extract
AstringentBioflavonoids
Skin ConditioningCitrus Grandis Peel Oil
MaskingPalmitic Acid
EmollientSodium Isethionate
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantMyristic Acid
CleansingQuartz
AbrasiveStearic Acid
CleansingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingO-Cymen-5-Ol
AntimicrobialCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Citral
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Kaolin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, PEG-100 Stearate, Propanediol, Coconut Acid, Butylene Glycol, Charcoal Powder, Sodium Astrocaryum Murumuruate, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Bioflavonoids, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Myristic Acid, Quartz, Stearic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Pentylene Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Citral, Limonene, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingNiacinamide
SmoothingGlycerin
HumectantSodium Lactate
BufferingPEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
EmulsifyingSodium PCA
HumectantSalicylic Acid
MaskingPEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
EmulsifyingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantTetrasodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingMagnesium Chloride
Magnesium Nitrate
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
PreservativeMethylisothiazolinone
PreservativeWater, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Lauryl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Sodium Lactate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium PCA, Salicylic Acid, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinThis ingredient is also known as tea tree oil. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
Tea tree oil is a complex lipophilic (fat-loving) oil that contains around 100 compounds with terpinen-4-ol being the most abundant (~40%).
Terpinen-4-ol is responsible for tea tree oil's broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and makes it a well-researched option for acne.
Clinical studies support 5% tea tree oil as an effective topical treatment for mild to moderate acne. A study with 124 patients compared 5% tea tree oil gel to 5% benzoyl peroxide and both reduced acne (though tea tree oil worked more slowly).
Besides acne, it is also seen in anti-dandruff shampoos and scalp treatments for it's antimicrobial and anti-seborrheic properties.
Safety-wise, the allergic potential of low concentrations on healthy skin is considered low. However, oxidized (old or improperly stored) tea tree oil is a stronger sensitizer.
Irritation can also occur if using the undiluted oil on skin; it's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted cosmetic formula. This is because regulations require tea tree oil in cosmetics to be stabilized to prevent degradation.
This ingredient has been deemed safe up to 2% in shampoo, 1% in cleansers, and 0.1% in face cream by the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS).
There is some lab evidence that tea tree oil is antifungal against Malassezia, but it is a supportive option at best and not a replacement for proven antifungal treatments.
Learn more about Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf OilSodium 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 HydroxideWater. 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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water