Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser versus Curology Cleanser .
Published on April 07, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 9 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 harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens, silicones or sulfates
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).
Ingredient Info
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser 17 ingredients
Curology Cleanser 24 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
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 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
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 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser 17 ingredients
Curology Cleanser 24 ingredients
Benefits
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient 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 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 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Concerns
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:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser 17 ingredients
Curology Cleanser 24 ingredients
Water • Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate • Sodium Lauroamphoacetate • Stearic Acid • Glycerin • Glycol Distearate • Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil • Acrylates Copolymer • Cetearyl Alcohol • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract • Sodium Chloride • Sodium Hydroxide • Xanthan Gum • Caprylyl Glycol • Hexylene Glycol • Disodium EDTA • Phenoxyethanol
Water • Acrylates Copolymer • Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine • Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate • Xylitylglucoside • Propanediol • Coco-Glucoside • Anhydroxylitol • Stearic Acid • 1,2-Hexanediol • Xylitol • Panthenol • Coconut Alcohol • Citric Acid • Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate • Stearyl Alcohol • Glycerin • Sodium Hydroxide • Sodium Chloride • Caprylhydroxamic Acid • Disodium EDTA • Xanthan Gum • Potassium Sorbate • Avena Sativa 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.
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 WaterPaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from the fatty acids of coconut oil. It is a surfactant and helps with cleansing the skin.
By binding to water and oil, it helps gently clean skin. It also helps the spreadability of the product.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate is also added to help create foam without drying the skin. However, this is depending on the amount of Sodium cocoyl isethionate.
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionatePaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.
As an emollient, stearic acid helps soften skin. It aids the skin's protective barrier by preventing water loss. It also provides a gentle cleansing effect without stripping away natural oils.
Stearic acid may also be used to enhance the texture of products. It can add volume and stabilize ingredients such as water and oil. This can help water and oil ingredients from separating.
Sources of stearic acid include animal or vegetable fats/oils such as coconut or shea. It can be naturally found in butter, cocoa butter, shea butter, vegetable fats, and animal tallow.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidPaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.
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 GlycerinPaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 17.
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerPaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
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 ChloridePaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 19.
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 HydroxidePaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.
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 GumPaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 13.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 22.
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 EDTAPaula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.
Curology Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 21.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser 17 ingredients
Curology Cleanser 24 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser 17 ingredients
Curology Cleanser 24 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser 17 ingredients
Curology Cleanser 24 ingredients
KaitlinGraham_538
The best cleanser
This is the best cleanser I’ve ever tried. It removes makeup, sunscreen, and oil without feeling drying. Using it with the...
The best cleanser
This is the best cleanser I’ve ever tried. It removes makeup, sunscreen, and oil without feeling drying. Using it with the curology treatment and moisturizer cleared my acne.
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