Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin .
Published on September 21, 2022
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 17 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 harsh alcohols, oils, parabens or silicones
What's Inside
They both contain common allergens and sulfates
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 Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel 30 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin 17 ingredients
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:
Contains Sulfate
Ingredients in this product that are types of sulfate:
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 🎉
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 🎉
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 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel 30 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin 17 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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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 3 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:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel 30 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin 17 ingredients
Water • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Decyl Glucoside • Glycerin • Sodium Chloride • Coco-Betaine • Salicylic Acid • Capryloyl Salicylic Acid • Charcoal Powder • Citric Acid • Copper PCA • Hexylene Glycol • Menthol • Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate • Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides • Pentasodium Ethylenediamine Tetramethylene Phosphonate • Perlite • Polyglycerin-10 • Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate • Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate • Polyquaternium-47 • Propylene Glycol • Sodium Benzoate • Sodium Dehydroacetate • Sodium Hydroxide • Sorbitol • Tetrasodium EDTA • Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract • Zinc Gluconate • Parfum
Salicylic Acid 2% • Water • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Decyl Glucoside • Glycerin • Sodium Chloride • Coco-Betaine • Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate • Hexylene Glycol • Sodium Hydroxide • Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides • Zinc Gluconate • Tetrasodium EDTA • Polyquaternium-47 • Menthol • Capryloyl Salicylic Acid • Citric Acid
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 Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 1.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 2.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a foaming, cleansing, and emulsifying ingredient. It is created from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. SLES is not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate. It is much milder and less likely to irritate.
SLES helps create foam in personal products. It also prevents ingredients from separating, helping to elongate the shelf life.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a type of sulfate. It can be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient if you have concerns.
Learn more about Sodium Laureth SulfateGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 2.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 3.
Decyl Glucoside is a glucose-based surfactant. Surfactants help clean the skin by trapping oil, sebum, and dirt to be washed away.
It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Decyl Glucoside also helps stabilize the ingredients in a product by preventing them from separating.
This ingredient is biodegradable and non-toxic. This ingredient is commonly found in baby shampoos.
Decyl Glucoside is sometimes used to stabilize the UV filter Tinosorb.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 3.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 4.
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 Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 4.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 5.
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 ChlorideGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 5.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 6.
Coco-Betaine is the natural version of Cocamidopropyl Betaine. It is often derived from coconuts.
Coco-Betaine is a surfactant, meaning it helps remove dirt and oil from the skin.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 6.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 7.
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 Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 7.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 1.
We don't have a description for Capryloyl Salicylic Acid.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 8.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 16.
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 AcidGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 10.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 17.
Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant. Glycols are a class of alcohols. Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant and emulsifier.
As a surfactant, Hexylene Glycol helps gather dirt and oil on your skin to be washed away.
As an emulsifier, Hexylene Glycol helps keep water and oil together. This prevents them from separating in a product. Hexylene Glycol also thins out the texture of a product by lessening viscosity.
Hexylene Glycol has a small molecular weight.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 12.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 9.
Menthol is a compound found in mint plants, such as peppermint. In its pure form, it is a clear crystalline substance.
Menthol is known for its cooling sensation; however, the cooling is actually from your skin being sensitized. Menthol can worsen rosacea. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Menthol also has antimicrobial properties.
Learn more about MentholGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 13.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 15.
Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate isn't fungal acne safe.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 14.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 8.
This ingredient is derived from caprylic and capric acids. It is an emulsifier with emollient properties.
According to the manufacturer, it is hydrophilic and soluble in aqueous solutions (water). They also state this ingredient is stable in a medium pH range (~5 - 8).
As an emulsifier, it helps make oils and oil-soluble ingredients more soluble in water.
Learn more about Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric GlyceridesGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 15.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 11.
We don't have a description for Polyquaternium-47.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 21.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 14.
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 HydroxideGarnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 25.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 10.
Tetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 27.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 13.
We don't have a description for Zinc Gluconate.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 29.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin contains this as ingredient number 12.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel 30 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin 17 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel 30 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin 17 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Garnier Pure Active Intensive Anti-Blackhead Charcoal Cleansing Gel.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Face Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin.
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