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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Murad Essential-C Cleanser versus Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser .

Published on August 19, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free face cleansers. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin C

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols or silicones

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
Face Cleanser 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).

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

Shop

Buy Essential-C Cleanser

Starts at $15.00
Shop

Buy AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

Starts at $31.89

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

Retinoid
Vitamin C (2)
Vitamin E

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (4)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (2)
Rosacea
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

AHA (2)
BHA
Vitamin C

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores (3)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (4)
Scar Healing (4)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying (3)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (4)
Eczema (4)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

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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

Murad Essential-C Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Cleansing
Community Rating: Disliked

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 Betaine

Murad Essential-C Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

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.

Murad Essential-C Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.

4
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid and is naturally occurring on human skin.

The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.

Sodium PCA is a has conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.

Learn more about Sodium PCA

Murad Essential-C Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 19.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

5
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

Murad Essential-C Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 24.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.

6
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Murad Essential-C Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 25.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 19.

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

33% are loved or liked
11% have mixed ratings
42% are disliked or very disliked
14% have no rating yet
33% are loved or liked
10% have mixed ratings
52% are disliked or very disliked
5% 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

Murad Essential-C Cleanser 36 ingredients

Essential-C Cleanser hasn't been rated yet.
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Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 21 ingredients

2.0 /5
from 1 rating

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