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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser versus CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser .

Last updated on August 02, 2023. Published on July 10, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both face cleansers. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin and reducing pores

Free From

They both do not contain any silicones

What's Inside

They both contain parabens

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 Canadian Brand Canada

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 Purity Made Simple Cleanser

Starts at $11.31
Shop

Buy Foaming Facial Cleanser

Starts at $11.31

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
ph level
5.5
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
ph level
5.5

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA

Benefits

Hydrating
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (4)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (3)

Notable Ingredients

Niacinamide
Ceramides (3)
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (5)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (5)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Acne Trigger
Rosacea
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Compared

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

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

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Glycerin

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming
Community Rating: Disliked

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.

Carbomer is commonly found in many types of cosmetics products. It is found to be safe in concentrations up to 15%. However, a high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Most products contain 1% of less of carbomer.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 13.

4
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

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 Acid

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 20.

5
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Methylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.

Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.

Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.

The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.

Learn more about Methylparaben

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.

6
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Propylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben with antifungal and antimicrobial properties.

This ingredient can be naturally found in plants and insects, but most of it is synthetically manufactured for human use. In cosmetics, it is usually created by reacting para-aminobenzoic acid and propanol (an alcohol).

You can usually find this ingredient in water-based products.

Parabens have come under controversy due to the claim they are hormone disruptors. Studies show conflicting results. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.

Propylparaben is commonly found in food, medicine, and cosmetics.

Learn more about Propylparaben

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 19.

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

7% are loved or liked
7% have mixed ratings
52% are disliked or very disliked
34% have no rating yet
42% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
58% are disliked or very disliked
0% 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

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser 29 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 2 ratings

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 52 ratings
Great Value (5) Works Well (4) No Scent (3) Hydrating (2) Light (2) Light Scent (2)
Mirq's avatar

Mirq

12 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

Love hate relationship
I’ve been using it almost for year. It clears my skin and it doesn’t break me out but I think it’s too drying for me. I...

Love hate relationship
I’ve been using it almost for year. It clears my skin and it doesn’t break me out but I think it’s too drying for me. I have sensitive combo skin and every time I use my skin feels slightly tight. The reason I was using it for soo long is because I didn’t realised that tight feeling wasn’t normal. So maybe it’s better for more oily skin.

dhochuli's avatar

dhochuli

2 years ago · Combination Skin
Review

Every teen struggling with acne needs this!
This is the product that helped me get through my horrible acne breakouts. It’s the one cleanser I...

Every teen struggling with acne needs this!
This is the product that helped me get through my horrible acne breakouts. It’s the one cleanser I recommend to my younger clients.

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