Versus

Starville Facial Cleanser Gel Versus CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser - Australia

Face Cleanser
Face Cleanser
Egyptian Brand Egypt
American Brand United States

Updated on February 03, 2025

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 1 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, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

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 needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

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

When to use

39 Routines
49% use in am
51% use in pm
97% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
1,919 Routines
42% use in am
58% use in pm
93% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Starville Facial Cleanser Gel 8 ingredients

Facial Cleanser Gel hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser 24 ingredients

3.2 /5
from 29 ratings
Irritating (9) Broke Me Out (9) Works Well (8)
Samantha_628's avatar

Samantha_628

1 year ago
Review

Unbelievably good! I used this last night and it made my very sensitive skin quite red. However I need a cleanser to deal with my clogged pores and was reassured by the beneficial skin barrier ingredients. I also followed it with a soothing toner and lots of ceramides. Woke up and the redness is gone, and my clogged pores are visibly faded. Overnight! No new little breakouts, either. Highly Show more

#light
#no scent
#works well
Nero's avatar

Nero

1 year ago
Review

Broke me out for months on end

#broke me out
#irritating
#sticky
#doesn't work