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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser versus Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 .

Published on May 18, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both fungal acne (malassezia) safe . They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA and hyaluronic acid

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any oils

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols

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
Toner 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).

Toner

Toners are used as a “last-step” cleanser, a pH balancer, add moisture to the skin, or may help in reducing impurities on the skin. They have a liquid consistency and are usually used after cleansers but before treatments.

Price

Shop

Buy Acne Facial Cleanser

Starts at $16.00
Shop

Buy Clarifying Lotion 3

Starts at $17.00

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

BHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying (4)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (6)

Notable Ingredients

AHA
BHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying (3)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
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

Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 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

Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 contains this as ingredient number 6.

3
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 contains this as ingredient number 3.

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

Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 contains this as ingredient number 8.

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

29% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
67% are disliked or very disliked
5% have no rating yet
35% are loved or liked
12% have mixed ratings
41% are disliked or very disliked
12% 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

Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser 21 ingredients

Acne Facial Cleanser hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3 17 ingredients

1.0 /5
from 1 rating

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