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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser versus La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser .

Last updated on September 07, 2023. Published on February 28, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both face cleansers. They have a total of 4 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 harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or 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 American Brand United States
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 Gentle Facial Cleanser

Starts at $8.05
Shop

Buy Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser

Starts at $16.99

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
ph level
5.2

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Benefits

Hydrating
Brightening

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Rosacea
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Ceramides

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots
Acne Fighting
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Rosacea
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

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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

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser 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

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
What it does: Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 11.

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

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

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

25% are loved or liked
33% have mixed ratings
42% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
77% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
23% 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.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser 12 ingredients

3.8 /5
from 24 reviews
kyniwi's Avatar'
Jan 28, 2024

Good for fungal acne but it’s pretty drying. I have dry skin so it’s not the best for me. I’ll be finishing the bottle I have then switching out for something less drying. It’s been good on my fungal acne journey, plus it’s not...

Good for fungal acne but it’s pretty drying. I have dry skin so it’s not the best for me. I’ll be finishing the bottle I have then switching out for something less drying. It’s been good on my fungal acne journey, plus it’s not irritating on my sensitive skin. It’s got simple ingredients but yeah.. drying.

Great Value
Drying
No Scent
Lylz777's Avatar'
Apr 27, 2023

Made all of my skincare itchy
My derm recommended this because i have super sensitive skin. It was fine. No initial reaction. But i noticed all of my skincare that I used afterwards made me itchy. I ended up switching out most of my...

Made all of my skincare itchy
My derm recommended this because i have super sensitive skin. It was fine. No initial reaction. But i noticed all of my skincare that I used afterwards made me itchy. I ended up switching out most of my products trying to get rid of the itch, never realizing this was the culprit. After I stopped using it, i tried some of the old products again and there was no itching.

Jimbo's Avatar'
Oct 31, 2023

Cleans the skin, doesn't burn or make my skin red, and doesn't cause any skin tightness for me. A permanent staple in my routines.

Cleans the skin, doesn't burn or make my skin red, and doesn't cause any skin tightness for me. A permanent staple in my routines.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser 13 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 29 reviews
lunarlilies's Avatar'
Nov 22, 2023

decent!
i’d say this is a good choice for those with oily skin, but it was slightly irritating when i first used it, though that pretty much went away later

decent!
i’d say this is a good choice for those with oily skin, but it was slightly irritating when i first used it, though that pretty much went away later

BrodyTosi's Avatar'
Dec 26, 2023

Ceramides! Pro-B5! Vitamin E! Niacinamide! Glycerin! There is so much good I would suggest looking through each ingredient on SkinSort or another skincare ingredient database if you aren't up to speed on all of the potential benefits the...

Ceramides! Pro-B5! Vitamin E! Niacinamide! Glycerin! There is so much good I would suggest looking through each ingredient on SkinSort or another skincare ingredient database if you aren't up to speed on all of the potential benefits the skin can reap from these ingredients with informed and correct product use. I really can't complain about this cleanser, and I may have some bias towards it only because I've used it without a single issue for twelve months. However, objectively speaking many cleansers tend to pack in subtle ingredients often overlooked for potential to cause irritation (i.e., fragrances, sulfates, alcohols) to the skin's dynamic barrier. Niacinamide in this product may have the potential to cause skin irritation for some users, however, in cleanser form you will be washing off product relatively soon after application so this shouldn't be as relevant of a concern as opposed to a serum or even moisturizer containing niacinamide.

Great Value
Works Well
Hydrating
No Scent
mofii's Avatar'
Apr 4, 2023

I love how non-intrusive it feels
It does its job very well, without even feeling like you're being stripped of all your oils. Just wish it would foam up a little more.

I love how non-intrusive it feels
It does its job very well, without even feeling like you're being stripped of all your oils. Just wish it would foam up a little more.

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