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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash versus The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser .

Last updated on January 25, 2024. Published on January 20, 2021

Overview

What they are

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

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any 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
Face Cleanser British Brand United Kingdom

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 Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash

Shop

Buy Salicylic Acid Cleanser

Starts at $13.00

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
ph level
4
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 (4)
Exfoliators

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores (4)
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (4)
Brightening (5)

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Irritating (4)
Rosacea (5)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Vitamin E

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying (3)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (3)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

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

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

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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: 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

HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

2
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

HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash contains this as ingredient number 7.

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.

3
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

HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash contains this as ingredient number 17.

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

4
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

HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash contains this as ingredient number 20.

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 21.

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

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.

Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.

Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.

Sodium Benzoate is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.

Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.

We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate

HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash contains this as ingredient number 23.

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 20.

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

42% are loved or liked
17% have mixed ratings
25% are disliked or very disliked
17% have no rating yet
36% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
52% are disliked or very disliked
4% 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

HoliFrog Shasta AHA Refining Acid Wash 24 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
Lapaki's avatar

Lapaki

1 year ago · Dry Skin
Review

Big yes!
I've been using this since about a year when my skin's in need of a exfoliating but gentle cleanser. Love it! It contains five types of...

Big yes!
I've been using this since about a year when my skin's in need of a exfoliating but gentle cleanser. Love it! It contains five types of AHA and has a nice ingredient list.

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser 25 ingredients

3.9 /5
from 7 ratings
Great Value (2) No Scent (2) Works Well (2)
gemmajaws's avatar

gemmajaws

2 years ago · Dry Skin
Review

Great option to keep skin clear
Very gentle, lightly foaming cleanser, love the short squeezable bottle with flip top cap, perfect for keeping in...

Great option to keep skin clear
Very gentle, lightly foaming cleanser, love the short squeezable bottle with flip top cap, perfect for keeping in the shower. Effective but not stripping on the skin like some other SA cleansers I’ve tried. Free from pore clogging ingredients, this has become one of my all time favorite cleansers. For background, I have dry skin that is also prone to dehydration and is sensitive with a fair amount of surface redness on it so I only use this once per week. It’s not often I can use a foaming cleanser without it drying my skin and leaving it tight and itchy but this one is wonderful.

Hubayobi's avatar

Hubayobi

5 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

Good cleanser
Been using this a lot. Didn’t really do much to my skin, but it’s very cheap and a good daily cleanser for acne prone skin.

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