Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser Versus Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

See how these products line up with your preferences

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser versus Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser .

Published on May 18, 2023

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain AHA and BHA

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any oils 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.

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Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating 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

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Starts at $31.89

Ingredient Info

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

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser 20 ingredients

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 21 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

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser 20 ingredients

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 21 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

AHA

BHA

Benefits

Hydrating

Good For Oily Skin (2)

Skin Texture

Reduces Large Pores (2)

Anti-Aging

Dark Spots

Scar Healing (2)

Acne Fighting

Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying (5)

May Worsen Oily Skin

Acne Trigger

Irritating (3)

Rosacea (5)

Eczema (4)

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 Compared

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

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser 20 ingredients

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 21 ingredients

Water • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Methyl Gluceth-20 • Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate • Peg-80 Sorbitan Laurate • Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate • Salicylic Acid • Sodium Chloride • Benzyl Alcohol • Glycolic Acid • Parfum • Sodium Hydroxide • Polyquaternium-10 • BHA • Benzophenone-4 • Polyquaternium-7 • Basic Violet 2 • Blue 1 Lake

Water • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Jojoba Esters • Acrylates Copolymer • Glycol Stearate • Butylene Glycol • Sodium PCA • Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate • Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate • Glycolic Acid • Lactic Acid • Salicylic Acid • Polyquaternium-4 • Sodium Hydroxide • Sodium Chloride • Citric Acid • Disodium EDTA • Phenoxyethanol • Methylparaben • Propylparaben

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 Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

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

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Foaming

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a foaming, cleansing, and emulsifying ingredient. It is created from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. SLES is not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate. It is much milder and less likely to irritate.

SLES helps create foam in personal products. It also prevents ingredients from separating, helping to elongate the shelf life.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a type of sulfate. It can be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient if you have concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

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 Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.

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

Salicylic Acid

What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Liked

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 Acid

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 13.

Sodium Chloride

What it does: Masking

Community Rating: Very Disliked

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 Chloride

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 10.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.

Glycolic Acid

What it does: Buffering

Community Rating: Loved

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 Acid

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.

Sodium Hydroxide

What it does: Buffering

Community Rating: Mixed

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 Hydroxide

Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Daily Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.

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