St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree Versus ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser

See how these products line up with your preferences

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree versus ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser .

Published on December 12, 2021

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, oils, parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain common allergens, fragrances and sulfates

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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St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser

Face Cleanser British Brand United Kingdom

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

Price

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Buy Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree

Starts at $4.59

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Ingredient Info

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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree 23 ingredients

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser 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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree 23 ingredients

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser 29 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Benefits

Hydrating

Good For Oily Skin

Reduces Large Pores

Scar Healing

Acne Fighting

Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)

Irritating (2)

Rosacea (2)

Eczema (4)

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Vitamin E

Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating (2)

Good For Oily Skin (2)

Redness Reducing

Reduces Large Pores (2)

Dark Spots (2)

Scar Healing

Acne Fighting (2)

Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying (2)

Irritating (2)

Rosacea (2)

Eczema (3)

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Ingredients Compared

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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree 23 ingredients

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser 29 ingredients

Salicylic Acid 2% • Water • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Propylene Glycol • Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate • Parfum • Phenoxyethanol • Ammonium Chloride • Peg-150 Distearate • Menthyl Lactate • Disodium EDTA • Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate • Melaleuca Alternifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract • Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone • Geraniol • Hexyl Cinnamal • Limonene • Linalool • CI 19140 • CI 42090 • CI 17200

Water • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Acrylates Copolymer • Jojoba Esters • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate • Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine • Sodium Hydroxide • Cellulose • Mannitol • Caprylyl Alcohol • Niacin • Ammonium Lactate • Salicylic Acid • Disodium EDTA • Tocopheryl Acetate • Parfum • Limonene • Linalool • Niacinamide • Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose • Sodium PCA • Biosaccharide Gum-1 • Ethylhexylglycerin • Hexylene Glycol • Butylene Glycol • Phenoxyethanol • CI 77289

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.

Salicylic Acid

What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 1.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.

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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 2.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Foaming

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a foaming, cleansing, and emulsifying ingredient. It is created from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. SLES is not the same as sodium lauryl sulfate. It is much milder and less likely to irritate.

SLES helps create foam in personal products. It also prevents ingredients from separating, helping to elongate the shelf life.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a type of sulfate. It can be drying. We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient if you have concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Laureth Sulfate

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 3.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Glycerin

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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 4.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 5.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.

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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 8.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.

Phenoxyethanol

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.

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 9.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 28.

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

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 13.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.

Limonene

What it does: Perfuming, Solvent

Community Rating: Very Disliked

Limonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.

It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".

Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.

When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.

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.

Learn more about Limonene

St. Ives Acne Control Daily Face Cleanser Tea Tree contains this as ingredient number 19.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 19.

Linalool

What it does: Perfuming

Community Rating: Very Disliked