Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub versus Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask .
Published on April 29, 2021
Overview
Cool Features
They both contain AHA and BHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, 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, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates
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.
Exfoliator
Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.
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 Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub 27 ingredients
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask 19 ingredients
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 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are 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:
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:
Not Reef Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not reef safe:
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 Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub 27 ingredients
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask 19 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
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Notable Ingredients
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:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient 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:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients 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.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub 27 ingredients
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask 19 ingredients
Salicylic Acid 2% • Benzalkonium Chloride • Blue 1 Lake • Butylene Glycol • C12-15 Alkyl Lactate • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract • Cera Microcristallina • Cetyl Alcohol • Cetyl Lactate • Chromium Hydroxide Green • Cocamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate • Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract • Disodium EDTA • Glycerin • Glycolic Acid • Menthol • Microcrystalline Cellulose • Parfum • Polysorbate 60 • Potassium Cetyl Phosphate • Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether • Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate • Sodium Hydroxide • Steareth-21 • Water • Xanthan Gum • CI 15985
Salicylic Acid 0.5% • Water • Glycerin • Kaolin • Bentonite • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Trideceth-9 • Peg-5 Ethylhexanoate • Xanthan Gum • Glycolic Acid • Citric Acid • Menthyl Lactate • Panthenol • Sodium Hydroxide • Parfum • Sodium Citrate • Disodium EDTA • Titanium Dioxide • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
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.
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 AcidNeutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 1.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 1.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract is derived from the leaves of the tea plant. Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from this plant.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract has many benefits. It contains polyphenols, a strong antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight off free-radical molecules that damage skin cells. The antioxidants in green tea neutralize free-radicals from the sun. This gives the skin some extra UV protection, but should not replace sunscreen.
Many components of tea have anti-inflammatory properties. Polyphenols and L-theanine help soothe the skin and reduce irritation. L-theanine is an amino acid that makes up most of the amino acids found in tea leaves. The caffeine in Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract helps calm inflamed blood vessels.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract also contains Vitamin Bs, linoleic acid, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract also has antimicrobial properties.
Research has shown both drinking Camellia Sinensis Leaf Tea and applying it to the skin can help boost skin elasticity and hydration. Studies also show using tea extract may reduce sebum, or oil, production.
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractNeutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 6.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 19.
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 EDTANeutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 13.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 17.
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 GlycerinNeutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 14.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 3.
Glycolic Acid is arguably the most famous AHA with research to back up its benefits. Its main role is to peel the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.
Glycolic Acid has shown to boost collage production, a protein that helps skin stay firm. Overall, Glycolic Acid helps with improving uneven tone, rough patches of skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and sun damage. It also increases skin hydration by playing a role in creating molecules that create hyaluronic acid naturally.
When applying Glycolic Acid, it is normal to feel slight stinging. The pH value and concentration of glycolic acid play a role in the effectiveness of the product.
Recent studies have shown Glycolic Acid may protect the skin against UV damage. However, you should always wear SPF, especially when using exfoliants.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Glycolic AcidNeutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 15.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 10.
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 ParfumNeutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 19.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 15.
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 Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 24.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 14.
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 Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 26.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 2.
Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan GumNeutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub contains this as ingredient number 27.
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask contains this as ingredient number 9.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub 27 ingredients
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask 19 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control® Power-Clear Scrub 27 ingredients
Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask 19 ingredients
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