Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash versus Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel .
Last updated on April 21, 2024. Published on January 30, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 11 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin and brightening skin
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, parabens or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain common allergens, fragrances and oils
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).
Ingredient Info
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash 21 ingredients
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 25 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Contains Silicon
Ingredients in this product that are types of silicon:
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 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
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 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
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 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash 21 ingredients
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 25 ingredients
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:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.
Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash 21 ingredients
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 25 ingredients
Water • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Peg/Ppg-8/3 Diisostearate • Glycerin • Acrylates Copolymer • Silicone Quaternium-8 • Saponins • Butylene Glycol • Chlorphenesin • Sodium Hydroxide • Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil • Lavandula Angustifolia Oil • Disodium EDTA • Potassium Sorbate • Sodium Benzoate • Salvia Officinalis Oil • Zinc PCA • Citric Acid • Limonene • Linalool
Water • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate • Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate • Butylene Glycol • Hydroxyethylcellulose • Lavandula Angustifolia Oil • Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract • Citrus Limon Peel Oil • Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract • Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil • Citronellal • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Cocoamphoacetate • Hydroxyacetophenone • Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine • 1,2-Hexanediol • Caprylyl Glycol • Propanediol • Citric Acid • O-Cymen-5-Ol • Disodium EDTA • Ppg-5-Ceteth-20 • Sodium Hydroxide • Sodium Benzoate
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 WaterKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 1.
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate is a cleansing agent made from a mixture of long chain sulfonate salts. It can also help produce foam.
This ingredient may be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 2.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine. Dimethylaminopropylamine is a diamine, an amine with two amino groups.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 3.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 13.
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 GlycerinKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 5.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 12.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
- It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
- It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
- It helps improve product application.
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 9.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 4.
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 HydroxideKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 11.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 24.
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is the oil from the bergamot orange. This bergamot is native to Italy.
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is used to add fragrance to products. It contains limonene, linalool, and linalyl acetate.
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.
When used topically, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is a photosensitizer due to its furanocoumarins. Photosensitizers make the skin and eyes much more sensitive to sunlight. Photosensitizers are linked to skin cancer.
However, more cosmetics using Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil are removing the furanocoumarins.
Bergamot oil was also found to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Learn more about Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit OilKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 12.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 10.
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil is more commonly known as lavender essential oil. Lavandula Angustifolia is known as the English Lavender and famous for creating purple fields in Provence, France.
Lavender imparts a scent and may sensitize skin. It contains linalool, a known allergen.
While lavender essential oil is commonly used in aromatherapy to help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and stress, more research is needed to confirm this.
However, lavender essential oil has shown to have anti-inflammatory activity due to its prostanoids and histamine content.
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil is the volatile oil obtained from the flowers of the Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, Labiatae. ISO 8902:2009
Learn more about Lavandula Angustifolia OilKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 13.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 6.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 14.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 22.
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 BenzoateKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 16.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 25.
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 AcidKate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash contains this as ingredient number 19.
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 20.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash 21 ingredients
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 25 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash 21 ingredients
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 25 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash 21 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 35 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel.
See 35 alternatives
