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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Vanicream Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar versus Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser .

Last updated on September 07, 2023. Published on November 18, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free face cleansers. They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens 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 American Brand United States

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 Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar

Shop

Buy Gentle Facial Cleanser

Starts at $8.05

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

Benefits

Hydrating

Concerns

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

Benefits

Hydrating
Brightening

Concerns

Drying
Acne Trigger
Rosacea
Eczema
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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 Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar contains this as ingredient number 5.

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Cleansing, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate is a cleansing agent. It can be naturally derived or synthetically-created.

As a surfactant, it helps clean your skin by gathering dirt, oil, and other pollutants to be rinsed away more easily.

Vanicream Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar contains this as ingredient number 7.

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 4.

3
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 Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar contains this as ingredient number 8.

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 8.

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

24% are loved or liked
6% have mixed ratings
53% are disliked or very disliked
18% have no rating yet
25% are loved or liked
33% have mixed ratings
42% 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 Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar 17 ingredients

Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

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.

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