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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash versus COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser .

Last updated on January 25, 2024. Published on January 23, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe 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, reducing pores and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, 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 British Brand United Kingdom
Face Cleanser South Korean Brand South Korea

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 Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash

Starts at $7.49
Shop

Buy Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser

Starts at $6.59

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
7
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
9.5

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Vitamin E

Benefits

Hydrating
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger (3)
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)
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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.

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

Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle 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

Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

3
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

Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash contains this as ingredient number 5.

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.

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

Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash contains this as ingredient number 7.

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 23.

5
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

Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash contains this as ingredient number 8.

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 20.

6
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

Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash contains this as ingredient number 9.

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 13.

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

28% are loved or liked
17% have mixed ratings
44% are disliked or very disliked
11% have no rating yet
26% are loved or liked
17% have mixed ratings
57% 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

Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash 18 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 6 reviews
Lovee's Avatar'
Aug 9, 2023

Really Simple
No harsh chemicals & leaves the skin hydrated after every use. It’s also pocket friendly.

Really Simple
No harsh chemicals & leaves the skin hydrated after every use. It’s also pocket friendly.

CentellaAddict's Avatar'
Sep 10, 2023

Mid cleanser - did what was expected
Didn't make any difference in my skin overall but it helped in repairing my DEAD skin barrier which is why I got it in the first place, mostly recommend for people with no real skin concerns and just...

Mid cleanser - did what was expected
Didn't make any difference in my skin overall but it helped in repairing my DEAD skin barrier which is why I got it in the first place, mostly recommend for people with no real skin concerns and just want to have a skincare routine for cleanliness

CharlotteSpurway_92's Avatar'
Mar 30, 2024

It won't give radical results but it's a good cleanser for sensitive skin. It doesn't strip the skin and leaves it feeling lightly hydrated. Been using it for years and is a staple in my routine.

It won't give radical results but it's a good cleanser for sensitive skin. It doesn't strip the skin and leaves it feeling lightly hydrated. Been using it for years and is a staple in my routine.

Great Value
Hydrating
No Scent

COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser 23 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 12 reviews
skinogre's Avatar'
Feb 13, 2024

I used to think it was good because of how it really goes DEEP into cleaning your skin, it feels like it’s been scraped out. It’s good if you haven’t washed your face in a week, other than that it’s really bad. And that’s coming from...

I used to think it was good because of how it really goes DEEP into cleaning your skin, it feels like it’s been scraped out. It’s good if you haven’t washed your face in a week, other than that it’s really bad. And that’s coming from someone who has oily skin and uses Paula’s choice BHA every other day. There are so many better cleansing products than this, I highly advise getting the Etude house foam 6.5 whip cleaner instead and using an exfoliant alongside it. One thing I do like about this cleanser is its consistency, I always loved how it would squirt out but on the downside was it’s drying out of skin. It never “ruined” my skin per se, but there are a lot better products than this for daily cleansing. If you want your skin to feel EXTREMELY scraped of all oils and its essence, sure use this.

Drying
Strong Scent
princessmelody2010's Avatar'
Jan 1, 2024

Okay.. but NO.. not safe for fungal acne.

Okay.. but NO.. not safe for fungal acne.

YSLDave's Avatar'
Nov 7, 2023

Too Harsh for the skin
PH Level is wayy too high on this, it feel like you washed your face with soap, i only use it at night with double cleanse on exfoliation days, but i will not cop another bootle for sure

Too Harsh for the skin
PH Level is wayy too high on this, it feel like you washed your face with soap, i only use it at night with double cleanse on exfoliation days, but i will not cop another bootle for sure

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Simple Skincare Water Boost Micellar Cleansing Facial Gel Wash.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser.

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