Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution versus Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment .
Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on January 25, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 5 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens or silicones
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Toner
Toners are used as a “last-step” cleanser, a pH balancer, add moisture to the skin, or may help in reducing impurities on the skin. They have a liquid consistency and are usually used after cleansers but before treatments.
Exfoliator
Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.
Price
Ingredient Info
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution 42 ingredients
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment 19 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Vegan
This product is vegan 🎉
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Contains Sulfate
Ingredients in this product that are types of sulfate:
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution 42 ingredients
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment 19 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.
Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution 42 ingredients
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment 19 ingredients
Water • Glycolic Acid • Rosa Damascena Flower Water • Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water • Propanediol • Glycerin • Triethanolamine • Aminomethyl Propanol • Panax Ginseng Root Extract • Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract • Aspartic Acid • Alanine • Glycine • Serine • Valine • Isoleucine • Proline • Threonine • Histidine • Phenylalanine • Glutamic Acid • Arginine • PCA • Sodium PCA • Sodium Lactate • Fructose • Glucose • Sucrose • Urea • Hexyl Nicotinate • Dextrin • Citric Acid • Polysorbate 20 • Gellan Gum • Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate • Sodium Chloride • Hexylene Glycol • Potassium Sorbate • Sodium Benzoate • 1,2-Hexanediol • Caprylyl Glycol
Salicylic Acid 2% • Water • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate • Polyethylene • Sodium Chloride • Acrylates Copolymer • Coco-Betaine • Cocamide Mea • Glycerin • Charcoal Powder • Citric Acid • CI 77492 • Polyglycerin-10 • Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate • Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate • Ppg-5-Ceteth-20 • Sodium Hydroxide • Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate • Parfum
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterThe Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution contains this as ingredient number 1.
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment contains this as ingredient number 2.
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 GlycerinThe Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution contains this as ingredient number 7.
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment contains this as ingredient number 9.
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 AcidThe Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution contains this as ingredient number 33.
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment contains this as ingredient number 11.
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution contains this as ingredient number 36.
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment contains this as ingredient number 18.
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 ChlorideThe Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution contains this as ingredient number 37.
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment contains this as ingredient number 5.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution 42 ingredients
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment 19 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution 42 ingredients
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment 19 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution 42 ingredients
CustardBunny
Ive used this for a whileee now.
First on my face, way too harsh so i did body only. I got lots of acne and heard nothing but "an all cure for...
Ive used this for a whileee now.
First on my face, way too harsh so i did body only. I got lots of acne and heard nothing but "an all cure for everything skinwise" lol.
Well it HURTS like a bitch. God it stings.
Absolutely no difference, if anything worse skin issues. Around the buttocks area.
Best thing that couldve happened to me? African Black Soap.
tiffchikin
Didn't do anything for me
I wanted to like this product so much but after finishing one and a half bottle I still didn't see a difference on my...
Didn't do anything for me
I wanted to like this product so much but after finishing one and a half bottle I still didn't see a difference on my face. Stings a little bit so I only used it 2-3 times a week.
Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment 19 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 31 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution.
See 31 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 10 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Garnier SkinActive Charcoal Blackhead Acne Treatment.
See 10 alternatives
