Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser versus Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser .
Published on April 22, 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 BHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain 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
Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser 19 ingredients
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
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 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is 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
Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser 19 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
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 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:
Concerns
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:
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.
Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser 19 ingredients
Water • Glycerin • Myristic Acid • Palmitic Acid • Stearic Acid • Potassium Hydroxide • Lauric Acid • Glyceryl Distearate • Glyceryl Stearate • Kaolin • Perlite • Peg-14m • Linalool • Geraniol • Parfum • Pumice • Salicylic Acid • Phenoxyethanol • Limonene • Ascorbyl Glucoside • Tetrasodium EDTA • Citrus Limon Fruit Extract • Benzyl Salicylate • Benzyl Alcohol
Water • Glycerin • Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate • Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Myristic Acid • Glycol Distearate • Acrylates Copolymer • Lauric Acid • Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate • Phenoxyethanol • Salicylic Acid • Caprylyl Glycol • Chlorphenesin • Sodium Hydroxide • Parfum • Hydroxyethylcellulose • O-Cymen-5-Ol • Disodium EDTA
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 WaterGarnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 GlycerinGarnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidGarnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.
Lauric Acid is a fatty acid or lipid. About half of fatty acids in coconut oil is lauric acid.
This ingredient helps hydrate and sooth skin. As a humectant, it helps trap moisture. It also aids in cleaning and enhancing the texture of products.
Emerging studies show Lauric Acid to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial property helps strengthen the skin barrier by fighting off bad bacteria.
Lauric acid may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal acne, safe.
Learn more about Lauric AcidGarnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.
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 ParfumGarnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.
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 AcidGarnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 17.
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and 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.
Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser 19 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser 24 ingredients
Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser 19 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Garnier Bright Complete Anti-Acne 3-in-1 Cleanser.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Neutrogena Acne Foaming Cleanser.
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