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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser versus Naturium Niacinamide Essence 3% .

Last updated on February 07, 2024. Published on June 23, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or 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 American Brand United States
Essence 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).

Essence

Essences are used to prep skin for further treatment and may provide extra skin benefits. They are usually used before serum and moisturizers. Essences are thought to have originated in either Japan or Korea and is an essential step in K-Beauty.

Price

Shop

Buy Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser

Starts at $12.99
Shop

Buy Niacinamide Essence 3%

Starts at $16.00

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 (2)
PHA
Exfoliators
Hyaluronic Acid (5)

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (4)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin
Eczema (2)
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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

Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Naturium Niacinamide Essence 3% 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

Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.

Naturium Niacinamide Essence 3% contains this as ingredient number 4.

3
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

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

Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 10.

Naturium Niacinamide Essence 3% contains this as ingredient number 17.

4
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 22.

Naturium Niacinamide Essence 3% contains this as ingredient number 5.

5
What it does: Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 33.

Naturium Niacinamide Essence 3% contains this as ingredient number 11.

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

53% are loved or liked
22% have mixed ratings
14% are disliked or very disliked
11% have no rating yet
53% are loved or liked
6% have mixed ratings
41% are disliked or very disliked
0% 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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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser 36 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 2 ratings
Broke Me Out (1) Pilling (1)
JulietSiebert_211's avatar

JulietSiebert_211

11 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

This makes my skin smooth and not stripped

ORI's avatar

ORI

2 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Might work for someone with a different skin type than me. Didnt notice much exfoliating personally compared to others.

Naturium Niacinamide Essence 3% 17 ingredients

Niacinamide Essence 3% hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

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