Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser Versus Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser

See how these products line up with your preferences

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser versus Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser .

Published on October 05, 2020

Overview

What they are

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

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, parabens or silicones

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.

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Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser

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

Price

Shop

Buy Fresh Foaming Cleanser

Starts at $11.99

Shop

Buy Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser

Starts at $9.63

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser 15 ingredients

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser 12 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

ph level

5.6

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser 15 ingredients

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser 12 ingredients

Benefits

Hydrating

Brightening

Concerns

Irritating

Rosacea

Eczema (3)

Benefits

Hydrating

Brightening

Concerns

Rosacea

Eczema (2)

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Ingredients Compared

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

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser 15 ingredients

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser 12 ingredients

Water • Glycerin • Lauryl Glucoside • Decyl Glucoside • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Glycereth-7 • Ammonium Laureth Sulfate • Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate • Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate • Glycol Stearate • Cocamide Mea • Parfum • DMDM Hydantoin • Tetrasodium EDTA • Citric Acid

Water • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Lauryl Glucoside • Potassium Acrylates Copolymer • Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate • Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate • Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate • Ethylhexylglycerin • Caprylyl Glycol • Potassium Sorbate • Parfum

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.

Water

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

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Glycerin

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

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Lauryl Glucoside

What it does: Cleansing

Community Rating: Mixed

Lauryl Glucoside sugar- and lipid-based cleansing agent. It is created from glucose and lauryl alcohol.

Lauryl Glucoside makes it easier to rinse oil, dirt, and other polluants away.

A British study found lauryl glucoside to cause skin sensitivity for some people. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.

Learn more about Lauryl Glucoside

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

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

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.

Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate

What it does: Cleansing

We don't have a description for Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate.

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

What it does: Emulsifying

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate is used to improve texture and stability of a product. It is sugar based and helps thicken a product.

Once applied, it also creates a thin film to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.

This ingredient is the polyethylene glycol ether of the diester of oleic acid and methylglucose. The 120 represents an average of 120 moles of ethylene oxide.

There is limited research on this ingredient, although it is considered safe to use in skincare products.

Learn more about Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.

Parfum

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

Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

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