Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash versus Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel .
Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on January 09, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both face cleansers. They have a total of 10 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 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.
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 Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel 36 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 🎉
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 😥
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
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:
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 😥
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel 36 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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This product contains 1 ingredient 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 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Notable Ingredients
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 2 ingredients 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:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 5 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 6 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 Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel 36 ingredients
Water • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Sodium Chloride • Peg-80 Sorbitan Laurate • Citric Acid • Disodium EDTA • C12-15 Alkyl Lactate • Benzalkonium Chloride • Parfum • Cocamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate • Glycerin • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract • Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract • Propylene Glycol • Sodium Hydroxide • CI 15985 • CI 16035
Water • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate • Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate • Sodium C12-15 Pareth-15 Sulfonate • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract • Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract • Benzyl Alcohol • Peg-80 Sorbitan Laurate • Butylene Glycol • Methyldihydrojasmonate • Isobutyl Methyl Tetrahydropyranol • Ethylene Brassylate • Ethyl Linalool • Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate • Cyclamen Aldehyde • Gamma-Undecalactone • Methylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal • Citronellyl Acetate • Propylene Glycol • Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane • Ethylhexyl Salicylate • Methyl Dimethylmethylenecyclohexane Carboxylate • Polyquaternium-7 • Sodium Chloride • Citric Acid • Sorbic Acid • Disodium EDTA • Sodium Benzoate • Phenoxyethanol • Salicylic Acid • DMDM Hydantoin • CI 14700 • CI 17200
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 Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 1.
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate is a cleansing agent made from a mixture of long chain sulfonate salts. It can also help produce foam.
This ingredient may be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 2.
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 BetaineNeutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 3.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 5.
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 Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 4.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 27.
Peg-80 Sorbitan Laurate isn't fungal acne safe.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 5.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 11.
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 Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 6.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 28.
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 Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 7.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 30.
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 Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 12.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 4.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.
You may know Aloe to be a good sunburn reliever and inflammation reducer. This is because it contains many components that are known to help reduce irritation and itchiness. These include vitamins, amino acids, polysaccharides, and more. The high water content of aloe also helps give a cooling effect.
Aloe contains the antioxidants Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins neutralize free radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
The aloe plant is naturally abundant in polysaccharides, a carbohydrate made of sugar molecules. Polysaccharides help hydrate your skin by mimicking your skin's natural carbohydrates.
As it is easily absorbed by the skin, aloe is a great moisturizer. It is both a humectant and emollient. Emollients help trap moisture in your skin, keeping your skin soft. Humectants draw water from the air to your skin.
Other components of aloe include sugars such as monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, choline, many common minerals such as calcium, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Aloe does not protect against UV rays, despite it soothing sunburns.
There are over 420 species of aloe but Aloe Barbadensis is the most commonly used for topical products.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf ExtractNeutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 13.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 8.
Propylene Glycol is an odorless, colorless liquid. As a humectant, it helps skin retain moisture. It also aids in delivering active ingredients.
Another role of this ingredient is preventing a product from melting or freezing. Propylene glycol also adds antimicrobrial properties to a product, elongating product lifespan.
This ingredient is considered an organic alcohol and commonly added into both cosmetics and foods.
Those with sensitive skin or conditions may deliver a rash when using this ingredient.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolNeutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 15.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel contains this as ingredient number 22.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel 36 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel 36 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Neutrogena Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash 18 ingredients
davidalukkal_267
Didn't help with acne
Didn't help with whitehead and cystic acne, but it did improve skin complexion and helped with blackheads. But it also left...
Didn't help with acne
Didn't help with whitehead and cystic acne, but it did improve skin complexion and helped with blackheads. But it also left the skin very dry and tight.
Mary Kay Botanical Effects Cleansing Gel 36 ingredients
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