Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel versus Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator .
Published on July 23, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne
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.
Facial Treatment
Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.
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 Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel 9 ingredients
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator 28 ingredients
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 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
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:
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 Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel 9 ingredients
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator 28 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients 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:
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 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients 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:
This product contains 4 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 Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel 9 ingredients
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator 28 ingredients
Water • Glycerin • Salicylic Acid • Cetearyl Alcohol • Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate • Xanthan Gum • Paraffin • Glyceryl Stearate • Peg-100 Stearate • Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract • Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract • Morus Alba Bark Extract • Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract • Butylene Glycol • Linoleic Acid • Linolenic Acid • Sodium Hyaluronate • Disodium EDTA • Glycolic Acid • Polysorbate 20 • Sodium Hydroxide • Cetyl Alcohol • Isododecane • Phenoxyethanol • Chlorphenesin • Benzoic Acid • Sorbic Acid • 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
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 Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel contains this as ingredient number 2.
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel contains this as ingredient number 6.
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator contains this as ingredient number 18.
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 Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel contains this as ingredient number 9.
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator contains this as ingredient number 21.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel 9 ingredients
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator 28 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel 9 ingredients
Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator 28 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 37 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel.
See 37 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 27 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator.
See 27 alternatives