Proactiv Acne Body Wash Versus Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash

See how these products line up with your preferences

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Proactiv Acne Body Wash versus Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash .

Last updated on March 19, 2024. Published on November 03, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 10 ingredients in common

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any 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.

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Proactiv Acne Body Wash

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash

Body Wash American Brand United States

Face Cleanser American Brand United States

Body Wash

Products for cleansing your body. These include soaps, gels, cleansing creams, cleansing oils, and body washes.

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 Acne Body Wash

Starts at $36.00

Shop

Buy Deep Cleansing Wash

Starts at $10.00

Ingredient Info

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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash 29 ingredients

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash 29 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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash 29 ingredients

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash 29 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

AHA (2)

Vitamin E

Exfoliators

Benefits

Hydrating (2)

Good For Oily Skin

Skin Texture (2)

Reduces Large Pores (2)

Anti-Aging

Dark Spots

Scar Healing (2)

Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying

May Worsen Oily Skin (3)

Acne Trigger

Irritating (3)

Rosacea (4)

Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C

Benefits

Redness Reducing (3)

Reduces Irritation (2)

Skin Texture

Reduces Large Pores

Anti-Aging (2)

Dark Spots

Scar Healing

Acne Fighting

Brightening

Concerns

Drying (2)

May Worsen Oily Skin (2)

Acne Trigger

Irritating (2)

Rosacea (4)

Eczema (3)

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Ingredients Compared

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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash 29 ingredients

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash 29 ingredients

Acrylic Acid/Stearyl Acrylate Copolymer 2% • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract • Butylene Glycol • Butyrospermum Parkii Butter • Chromium Hydroxide Green • Citric Acid • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Coco-Betaine • Coconut Acid • Disodium EDTA • Parfum • Glycerin • Glycol Distearate • Glycolic Acid • Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose • Laureth-4 • Lauroyl/Myristoyl Methyl Glucamide • Mannitol • Microcrystalline Cellulose • Olive Oil Peg-8 Esters • Polyquaternium-39 • Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate • Sodium Chloride • Sodium Hydroxide • Synthetic Wax • Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter • Tocopheryl Acetate • Water

Water • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide • Paraffin • Stearyl Alcohol • Cetyl Alcohol • Jojoba Esters • Sodium Chloride • Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract • Coconut Acid • Menthol • Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate • Caprylyl Glycol • Hexylene Glycol • Ethylhexylglycerin • Ascorbic Acid • Citric Acid • Butylene Glycol • Disodium EDTA • Isopropyl Alcohol • Sodium Hydroxide • Phenoxyethanol • Sodium Benzoate • Sodium Sulfite • Potassium Sorbate • Parfum • Chromium Hydroxide Green

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.

Butylene Glycol

What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 3.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 20.

Chromium Hydroxide Green

What it does:

Community Rating: Disliked

We don't have a description for Chromium Hydroxide Green.

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 5.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 29.

Citric Acid

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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 6.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 19.

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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 7.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.

Coconut Acid

What it does: Cleansing, Emollient, Emulsifying

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Coconut Acid isn't fungal acne safe.

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 9.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 12.

Disodium EDTA

What it does:

Community Rating: Disliked

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 EDTA

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 10.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 21.

Parfum

What it does: Masking, Perfuming

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 11.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 28.

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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 24.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 8.

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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 25.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 23.

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

Proactiv Acne Body Wash contains this as ingredient number 29.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.

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