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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash versus Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash .

Published on February 20, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 13 ingredients in common

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils 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.

Face Cleanser British Brand United Kingdom
Face Cleanser British Brand United Kingdom

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 Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash

Starts at $5.00
Shop

Buy PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash

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
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

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin E

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation (2)
Anti-Aging
Scar Healing (2)
Brightening (2)

Concerns

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

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Brightening

Concerns

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

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash 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

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 9.

3
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

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 3.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.

4
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

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 4.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 4.

5
What it does: Emulsifying
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Polysorbate 20 is made by combining ethoxylation of sorbitan, ethylene oxide, and lauric acid. It is a mild cleansing agent, surfactant, and emulsifier.

As a surfactant, it helps collect dirt and oils for washing. Emulsifiers prevent oils and water from separating.

Polysorbate 20 also adds scent to a product. Since it is made using sorbitol, it has a sweet scent. Sorbitol can also be found in fruits such as apples and peaches.

The lauric acid used to create Polysorbate 20 is often derived from coconuts.

Polysorbate 20 may not be fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Polysorbate 20

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 8.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 8.

6
What it does: Antimicrobial, Astringent, Masking, Solvent
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol and other additives. It has a low molecular weight and will evaporate quickly. This helps other ingredients become better absorbed and dry once applied.

Alcohol Denat. is volatile and may cause irritation. It helps draw out natural oils in skin and dry out your skin.

One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased irritation.

Alcohol is antibacterial by nature. This can help preserve products and increase their shelf life.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

Learn more about Alcohol Denat.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 9.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 13.

7
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.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 10.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 10.

8
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

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 11.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 6.

9
What it does: Antioxidant, Perfuming
Community Rating: Mixed

This tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the Tea Tree plant. Tea tree oil has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.

According to the book Journal of Profiles of Drug Substances, tea tree helps in reducing acne-causing bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes. This is due to the Terpinen components of tea tree oil.

Tea tree may cause sensitivity and irritation for some people. This oil naturally contains fragrance such as linalool and limonene.

However, research shows irritation usually occurs when using pure tea tree oil and not in cosmetic products.

Tea tree oil was found to help relieve the symptoms of psoriasis in one study.

Tea tree oil is toxic when ingested. Another study showed it to caused damage to the nervous system of dogs and cats when applied to their skin or given orally.

Learn more about Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 13.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 11.

10
What it does: Masking, Preservative
Community Rating: Disliked

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.

Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.

Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.

Sodium Benzoate is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.

Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.

We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 14.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 18.

11
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

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 16.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 17.

12
What it does: Masking, Refreshing
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Menthol is a compound found in mint plants, such as peppermint. In its pure form, it is a clear crystalline substance.

Menthol is known for its cooling sensation; however, the cooling is actually from your skin being sensitized. Menthol can worsen rosacea. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.

Menthol also has antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Menthol

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 18.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 15.

13
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

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash contains this as ingredient number 22.

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash contains this as ingredient number 16.

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

24% are loved or liked
12% have mixed ratings
52% are disliked or very disliked
12% have no rating yet
11% are loved or liked
17% have mixed ratings
72% 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.

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash 25 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
pudindookle's avatar

pudindookle

7 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

this is my holy grail
ive been using this cleanser for 4 years and ill never stop loving it. GREAT for combination or oily skin

Primark PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash 18 ingredients

PS Clear and Cool Cleansing Face Wash hasn't been rated yet.
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