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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser versus Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily .

Published on December 08, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain AHA and niacinamide

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, oils, 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 American Brand United States

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

Shop

Buy Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser

Starts at $12.92
Shop

Buy TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily

Starts at $47.55

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA (3)
PHA
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (5)

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea (4)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Exfoliators
Niacinamide
Peptides

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (3)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Water

Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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

Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily contains this as ingredient number 10.

3
What it does: Cleansing
Community Rating: Disliked

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 Betaine

Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily contains this as ingredient number 5.

4
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.

Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily contains this as ingredient number 9.

5
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

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.

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 look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid

Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily contains this as ingredient number 17.

6
What it does: Solvent
Community Rating: Liked

Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use.

It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol

Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.

Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily contains this as ingredient number 4.

7
What it does: Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.

This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.

You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.

There is much debate on whether this ingredient is comedogenic. The short answer - comedogenic ratings don't tell the whole story. Learn more about comegodenic ratings here.

The concensus about this ingredient causing acne seems to be divided. Research is needed to understand if this ingredient does cause acne.

Scrubs may use salt as the primary exfoliating ingredient.

Learn more about Sodium Chloride

Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily contains this as ingredient number 18.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

53% are loved or liked
18% have mixed ratings
24% are disliked or very disliked
6% have no rating yet
19% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
31% are disliked or very disliked
42% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Differin Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Cleanser.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 1 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Mary Kay TimeWise Age Minimize 3D 4-in-1 Cleanser - Combination/Oily.

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