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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream .

Published on January 24, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain niacinamide

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances 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 French Brand France
Face Cleanser French Brand France

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

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Buy Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream

Starts at $34.99
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Buy Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream

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

Niacinamide

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Rosacea
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Niacinamide

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying (3)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea (3)
Eczema
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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

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 1.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream 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

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 4.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Foaming
Community Rating: Very Disliked

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 Sulfate

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 6.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 3.

4
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 7.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 9.

5
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

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 11.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 15.

6
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

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 EDTA

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 12.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 17.

7
What it does: Masking, Perfuming
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. 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. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 15.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream contains this as ingredient number 23.

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

40% are loved or liked
13% have mixed ratings
47% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
26% are loved or liked
9% have mixed ratings
52% are disliked or very disliked
13% 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

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream 15 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 2 ratings
InsSalgado_808's avatar

InsSalgado_808

9 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

amazing
been using at night as a gentle cleanser and it has done wonders for my acne prone skin.
it has no smell and it helps maintain my skin...

amazing
been using at night as a gentle cleanser and it has done wonders for my acne prone skin.
it has no smell and it helps maintain my skin barrier

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream 23 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
KellyPariossien_684's avatar

KellyPariossien_684

7 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

Feels clean and hydrating

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Iso-Biome Cleansing Cream.

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