Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of DHC Salicylic Acne Wash versus Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser .
Published on September 23, 2022
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 8 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain BHA and exfoliants
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, 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
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.
Ingredient Info
DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser 20 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Contains Sulfate
Ingredients in this product that are types of sulfate:
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of 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 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of 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
DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser 20 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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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 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:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
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 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 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.
DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser 20 ingredients
Salicylic Acid 2% • Water • Ammonium Laureth Sulfate • Cetyl Alcohol • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Glycol Distearate • Cocamide Mea • Triethanolamine • Phenoxyethanol • Polyethylene • Steareth-20 • Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride • Disodium EDTA • Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil • Butylene Glycol • Allantoin • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract • Royal Jelly Extract • Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract • Houttuynia Cordata Extract • Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Water • Decyl Glucoside • Cetyl Alcohol • Glycol Distearate • Sodium Laureth-13 Carboxylate • Cocamide Mea • Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate • Polyethylene • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Salicylic Acid • Glycolic Acid • Polyquaternium-11 • Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate • Sodium PCA • Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate • Hydroxypropyl Guar • Disodium EDTA • BHA • Parfum
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.
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 AcidDHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.
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 WaterDHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 AlcoholDHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 4.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.
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.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine 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 BetaineDHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 5.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.
Glycol Distearate serves as a pearlizing or opacifying agent in cosmetic products.
It's often included in cleansers and haircare products to give them a lustrous or shimmering appearance.
It is derived from stearic acid, a natural fatty acid commonly found in vegetable oils and animal fats.
Glycol Distearate isn't fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Glycol DistearateDHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 6.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.
We don't have a description for Cocamide Mea.
DHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 7.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.
Polyethylene is a synthetic ingredient that helps the skin retain moisture. It is a polymer.
Polyethylene is also typically used within product formulations to help bind solid ingredients together and thicken oil-based ingredients. When added to balms and emulsions, it helps increase the melting point temperature.
DHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 10.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.
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 EDTADHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 13.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser 20 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients
Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser 20 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 19 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to DHC Salicylic Acne Wash.
See 19 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 1 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser.
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