Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Merle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily versus Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask .
Published on April 28, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain hyaluronic acid
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, common allergens, oils or parabens
What's Inside
They both contain fragrances
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).
Price
Ingredient Info
Merle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily 23 ingredients
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask 24 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:
Contains Sulfate
Ingredients in this product that are types of sulfate:
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of 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 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Merle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily 23 ingredients
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask 24 ingredients
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 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
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:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Merle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily 23 ingredients
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask 24 ingredients
Water • Glycerin • Myristic Acid • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Potassium Hydroxide • Behenic Acid • Lauric Acid • Palmitic Acid • Magnesium Aluminum Silicate • Butylene Glycol • Cetyl Triethylmonium Dimethicone Peg-8 Succinate • Equisetum Arvense Extract • Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract • Citrus Grandis Seed Extract • Citrus Limon Peel Extract • Hamamelis Virginiana Water • Sodium Hyaluronate • Imidazolidinyl Urea • Diazolidinyl Urea • Trisodium EDTA • CI 42090 • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Parfum
Water • Myristic Acid • Glycerin • Behenic Acid • Potassium Hydroxide • Palmitic Acid • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Lauric Acid • Stearic Acid • Sucrose • Montmorillonite • Silybum Marianum Extract • Gentiana Lutea Root Extract • Algae Extract • Sodium Hyaluronate • Sorbitol • Caffeine • Zinc PCA • Peg-3 Distearate • Kaolin • Parfum • Disodium EDTA • Methylchloroisothiazolinone • Methylisothiazolinone
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 WaterMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 1.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 GlycerinMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 2.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 3.
Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 3.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 2.
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate isn't fungal acne safe.
Merle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 4.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 7.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 5.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 5.
Behenic Acid is a fatty acid and has moisturizing properties.
It is naturally occuring in the Moringa oleifera tree, rapeseed oil, and peanut oil.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Behenic AcidMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 6.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 4.
Lauric Acid is a fatty acid or lipid. About half of fatty acids in coconut oil is lauric acid.
This ingredient helps hydrate and sooth skin. As a humectant, it helps trap moisture. It also aids in cleaning and enhancing the texture of products.
Emerging studies show Lauric Acid to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial property helps strengthen the skin barrier by fighting off bad bacteria.
Lauric acid may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal acne, safe.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 7.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 8.
Palmitic Acid is a fatty acid found in our skin. In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It is a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
As an emollient, it helps hydrate the skin. The emulsifying properties keep ingredients together in a product.
Palmitic Acid may not be fungal-acne safe. It can worsen oily skin and cause breakouts due to its emollient nature.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 8.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 6.
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 HyaluronateMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 17.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 15.
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 ParfumMerle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily contains this as ingredient number 23.
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask contains this as ingredient number 21.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Merle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily 23 ingredients
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask 24 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Merle Norman Foaming Cleanser Normal/Oily 23 ingredients
Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask 24 ingredients
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