Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin .
Last updated on October 24, 2023. Published on April 10, 2023
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 4 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens or silicones
What's Inside
They both contain 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
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
Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash 14 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin 14 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
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 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
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 😥
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:
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 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash 14 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin 14 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients 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 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash 14 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin 14 ingredients
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 WaterNeutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 HydroxideNeutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 7.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin contains this as ingredient number 9.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.
This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
There is much debate on whether this ingredient is comedogenic. The short answer - comedogenic ratings don't tell the whole story. Learn more about comegodenic ratings here.
The concensus about this ingredient causing acne seems to be divided. Research is needed to understand if this ingredient does cause acne.
Scrubs may use salt as the primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideNeutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 10.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin contains this as ingredient number 6.
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 AcidNeutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 13.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin contains this as ingredient number 10.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash 14 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin 14 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash 14 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin 14 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash 14 ingredients
starstellastar_407
Broke me out and dried my skin. Skincare companies stop putting acne triggering ingredients in acne washes please.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser for Oily Skin 14 ingredients
SamWheeler_339
Got by accident, didnt like
Swapped from cerave salicylic acid cleanser to this one, I meant to buy the effaclar with salicylic acid in it, got a...
Got by accident, didnt like
Swapped from cerave salicylic acid cleanser to this one, I meant to buy the effaclar with salicylic acid in it, got a lot more breakouts after using and skin was quite red, wouldnt recommend for acne prone skin, just get effaclar with salicylic acid in it.
ksjsj
Tried this before I realised my skin was dry, when I thought having acne = oily skin. Despite that, I don't think any cleanser should be this...
Tried this before I realised my skin was dry, when I thought having acne = oily skin. Despite that, I don't think any cleanser should be this drying and irritating.
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 44 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Neutrogena Clear & Defend + Facial Wash.
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