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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser .

Published on May 12, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for sensitive skin

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens or silicones

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 American Brand United States
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

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

Shop

Buy Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser

Starts at $19.00
Shop

Buy Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser

Starts at $29.00

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant 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

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Brightening

Concerns

Drying
Rosacea
Eczema (2)

Benefits

Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Eczema
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Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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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.

1
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

Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
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

Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

3
What it does: Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol

Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.

4
What it does: Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Disliked

Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant. Glycols are a class of alcohols. Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant and emulsifier.

As a surfactant, Hexylene Glycol helps gather dirt and oil on your skin to be washed away.

As an emulsifier, Hexylene Glycol helps keep water and oil together. This prevents them from separating in a product. Hexylene Glycol also thins out the texture of a product by lessening viscosity.

Hexylene Glycol has a small molecular weight.

Learn more about Hexylene Glycol

Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 17.

5
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 19.

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 20.

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

42% are loved or liked
16% have mixed ratings
42% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
19% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
57% are disliked or very disliked
5% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser 19 ingredients

Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser 21 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
Hydrating (1) No Scent (1) Works Well (1)
Rosy123's avatar

Rosy123

3 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

I have very dry, sensitive, mature skin and have been using this creamy cleanser for many years. It is gentle and non drying but still removes my...

I have very dry, sensitive, mature skin and have been using this creamy cleanser for many years. It is gentle and non drying but still removes my makeup well. I use a separate remover for mascara and use an oil cleanser as a first cleanse if I have on waterproof sunscreen. But for many years I just used this cleanser and it removed everything well, so an oil cleanser probably is unnecessary TBH. I highly recommend this cleanser for dry, sensitive skin.

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 21 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 17 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Softening Cream Cleanser.

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