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Vichy Normaderm Phytoaction Cleansing Gel Versus La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Face Cleanser

Face Cleanser
Face Cleanser
French Brand France
French Brand France

Updated on January 08, 2025

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin and reducing pores

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

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

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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 Water
Cleansing, Skin Conditioning

Coco-Betaine is the natural version of Cocamidopropyl Betaine. It is often derived from coconuts.

Coco-Betaine is a surfactant, meaning it helps remove dirt and oil from the skin.

Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate is used to improve texture and stability of a product. It is sugar based and helps thicken a product.

Once applied, it also creates a thin film to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.

This ingredient is the polyethylene glycol ether of the diester of oleic acid and methylglucose. The 120 represents an average of 120 moles of ethylene oxide.

There is limited research on this ingredient, although it is considered safe to use in skincare products.

Learn more about PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Masking

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
Cleansing, Skin Conditioning

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.

Buffering

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
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

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

When to use

178 Routines
44% use in am
56% use in pm
94% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
3,665 Routines
45% use in am
55% use in pm
97% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Vichy Normaderm Phytoaction Cleansing Gel 17 ingredients

4.8 /5
from 5 ratings
Light (2) Light Scent (2) Works Well (2)
AllyF.'s avatar

AllyF.

1 year ago
Review

I've tried a numerous amount of cleansers for my acne prone skin, but I always come back to this one! If you have acne prone skin that reacts well to salicylic acid - you should definitely give Vichy a try!

#great value
#light scent
#works well
Ali2412's avatar

Ali2412

2 years ago
Review

Amazing
I love this product. Make skin feel fresh after using this cleanser. I apply it with bit of water and massage into my skin . I wait a minute to wash it of..it keeps my acne away.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Face Cleanser 15 ingredients

3.9 /5
from 40 ratings
Works Well (12) Great Value (11) No Scent (8)
LJ1's avatar

LJ1

1 year ago
Review

I love this cleanser so much! I have oily, acne-prone skin and this helps clean any oil and dirt on my face without breaking me out. My skin always feels nice and clean. I've tried many other cleansers and nothing has worked as great as this does. I have been using this for years and this will always be my go-to. If you have dry skin, do not use this as it may be too drying/stripping.

#great value
#no scent
#works well
laharinandipati's avatar

lahari nandipati

5 months ago
Review

I have acne-prone combination-oily sensitive skin. All the other cleansers that I used are either moisture stripping or not cleansing enough. This is the right cleanser for me. It didn't strip away the moisture from my skin.

#great value
#hydrating
#works well