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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on April 10, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both 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 and brightening skin

Free From

They both do not contain any oils, parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain common allergens

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 French Brand France

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 Salicylic Acid Cleanser

Starts at $13.00
Shop

Buy Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser

Starts at $18.99

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

BHA
Vitamin E

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Reduces Large Pores
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

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

Benefits

Hydrating
Brightening

Concerns

Drying (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea (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: 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 INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.

2
What it does: Emulsifying
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate isn't fungal acne safe.

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.

3
What it does: Emulsifying
Community Rating: Very Disliked

This ingredient is derived from caprylic and capric acids. It is an emulsifier with emollient properties.

According to the manufacturer, it is hydrophilic and soluble in aqueous solutions (water). They also state this ingredient is stable in a medium pH range (~5 - 8).

As an emulsifier, it helps make oils and oil-soluble ingredients more soluble in water.

Learn more about Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 10.

4
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 INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 12.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

5
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 INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 14.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

6
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 INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 21.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.

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

36% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
52% are disliked or very disliked
4% have no rating yet
25% are loved or liked
13% have mixed ratings
56% are disliked or very disliked
6% 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

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser 25 ingredients

3.9 /5
from 7 ratings
Great Value (2) No Scent (2) Works Well (2)
gemmajaws's avatar

gemmajaws

2 years ago · Dry Skin
Review

Great option to keep skin clear
Very gentle, lightly foaming cleanser, love the short squeezable bottle with flip top cap, perfect for keeping in...

Great option to keep skin clear
Very gentle, lightly foaming cleanser, love the short squeezable bottle with flip top cap, perfect for keeping in the shower. Effective but not stripping on the skin like some other SA cleansers I’ve tried. Free from pore clogging ingredients, this has become one of my all time favorite cleansers. For background, I have dry skin that is also prone to dehydration and is sensitive with a fair amount of surface redness on it so I only use this once per week. It’s not often I can use a foaming cleanser without it drying my skin and leaving it tight and itchy but this one is wonderful.

Hubayobi's avatar

Hubayobi

5 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

Good cleanser
Been using this a lot. Didn’t really do much to my skin, but it’s very cheap and a good daily cleanser for acne prone skin.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser 16 ingredients

Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser hasn't been rated yet.
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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Cleanser.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser.

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