Versus

Differin 0.1% w/w Cream Versus T3 Adapalene Gel 0.1%

Facial Treatment
Facial Treatment
American Brand United States
Malaysian Brand Malaysia

Overview

What they are

These products are both facial treatments. They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain retinoid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain parabens

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

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

Differin 0.1% w/w Cream 12 ingredients

T3 Adapalene Gel 0.1% 11 ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Differin 0.1% w/w Cream 12 ingredients

T3 Adapalene Gel 0.1% 11 ingredients

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Adapalene is a type of retinoid and common acne treatment.

It has been found to be as effective as other retinoids while causing less irritation.

Retinoids are the gold-standard for anti-aging due to the decades of research backing up their benefits:

You can buy adapalene over the counter, or in-store, in concentrations of 0.1% in gel form. 0.1% lotion or cream and 0.3% gel are only available with a prescription.

Learn more about Adapalene
Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create a gel consistency.

A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin 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 Glycerin

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 EDTA
Preservative

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.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Buffering

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
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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 Water

When to use

Differin 0.1% w/w Cream 12 ingredients

T3 Adapalene Gel 0.1% 11 ingredients

229 Routines
9% use in am
91% use in pm
80% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
43 Routines
9% use in am
91% use in pm
74% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Differin 0.1% w/w Cream 12 ingredients

3.7 /5
from 3 ratings
Absorbs Well (1) Great Value (1) Light (1)
oumoukadamzachrisson's avatar

Oumou Kadam-Zachrisson

4 months ago
Review

With consistency and patience differin is definitely a reliable and effective treatment for acne. I use this every evening and since I started (about 1,5 years ago I believe now) it has shown great results. I debated putting a 5 star rating but because it do take quite some time and has yet to completely get rid of my acne I put a 4.

𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢:
I was previously prescribed with epiduo which ended Show more

#great value
#light
#absorbs well
#no scent

T3 Adapalene Gel 0.1% 11 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
Drying (1) Great Value (1) Works Well (1)
kokonat's avatar

Koko

6 months ago
Review

It dried my acne but it did make the spots a lil bit itchy after applying it. Ive tried Deriva adapalene gel but it did not work on me at all and made my skin worse. This one is a lot cheaper and better imho. I used it alongside prescribed antibiotics.

#great value
#drying
#works well