IT Cosmetics Confidence In A Cleanser Versus La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Face Cleanser
This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.
This mild foaming cleanser is made to cleanse while respecting your skin barrier.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPPG-5-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate
Surfactant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Polyquaternium-53
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Limonene
Perfuming
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Colloidal Oatmeal
Absorbent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine
Skin Conditioning
Citronellol
Perfuming
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lactate
Buffering
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Chloride, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Citric Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Coconut Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate, Propylene Glycol, Squalane, Parfum, Salicylic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Glyceryl Oleate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polyquaternium-53, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Limonene, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Trideceth-6, Adenosine, Colloidal Oatmeal, Butylene Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Linalool, Geraniol, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine, Citronellol, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, CI 19140, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates Copolymer
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Betaine, Propanediol, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyacetophenone, Capryloyl Glycine, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Ceramide NP, Niacinamide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCoco-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.
Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinChances 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.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium 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 HydroxideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
