The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion Exfoliator Versus Merle Norman Gentle Polish
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free exfoliators. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain exfoliants
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin and brightening skin
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols
What's Inside
They both contain fragrances, oils and silicones
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
The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion Exfoliator 26 ingredients
Merle Norman Gentle Polish 27 ingredients
About this product
About this product
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion Exfoliator 26 ingredients
Merle Norman Gentle Polish 27 ingredients
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSolum Diatomeae
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Aluminum Silicate
Abrasive
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Linalool
Perfuming
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitral
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Solum Diatomeae, Glycerin, Aluminum Silicate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 60, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Linalool, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Trideceth-6, Limonene, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Citral, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil
Abrasive
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Paraffin
Perfuming
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Talc
Abrasive
PEG-8 Stearate
Emulsifying
Honey Extract
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Triethanolamine
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Methicone
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Paraffin, Glyceryl Stearate, Paraffinum Liquidum, PEG-100 Stearate, Talc, PEG-8 Stearate, Honey Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Stearic Acid, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Polysorbate 60, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Butylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methicone, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterGlycerin 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 GlycerinPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil comes from the sweet almond, a tree native to Iran. This oil has no fragrance and is non-volatile.
Almonds contain healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. It is a rich source of Vitamin E, a great antioxidant and skin conditioning ingredient. Sweet almond oil contains fatty acids such as linolenic acid and triglycerides.
The content of sweet almond oil makes it a great emollient; it can help soften and hydrate your skin. Emollients create a barrier over your skin to trap moisture in. Sweet almond oil has antioxidant properties.
Those with an almond allergy should be careful of this ingredient and speak with a professional about using it in your skincare.
This ingredient may not be fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis OilButyrospermum Parkii Butter is a plant lipid from the fruit of the Shea Tree. It is an effective skin hydrator and emollient.
Emollients help soothe and soften your skin. It does this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Shea butter is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may harm the body. It is also full of fatty acids including stearic acid and linoleic acid. These acids help replenish the skin and keep skin moisturized.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
Shea butter may not be fungal acne safe. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterGlyceryl Stearate is a mix of glycerin and stearic acid.
It is used to stabilize the mixing of water and oil ingredients. By preventing these ingredients from separating, it can help elongate shelf life. It can also help thicken the product's texture.
As an emollient, it helps soften skin and supports barrier-replenishing ingredients.
In cosmetics, Glyceryl Stearate is often made from vegetable oils or synthetically produced.
This ingredient may not be fungal-acne safe
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearatePeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent 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.
Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient 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.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or '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 by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
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 ParfumDisodium 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 EDTAIngredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these products.
When to use
The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion Exfoliator 26 ingredients
Merle Norman Gentle Polish 27 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion Exfoliator 26 ingredients
this is my dad’s cleanser i’ve tried for a few times. i ran iut of my niacinamide serum so i tried using the cleanser to get have a brightening ingredient in my skincare routine. and it makes my skin break out everytime i use it. i thought it was js a coincidence but it happened too often. i’ve never had any problems with vitamin c products
