Vivant skin care Mandelic Acid 3-In-1 Exfoliating Cleanser Versus NeoStrata Mandelic Clarifying Cleanser
This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Mandelic Acid to refine skin texture and clear breakouts.
This salicylic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Salicylic Acid to clear breakouts and unclog pores.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Acrylates Copolymer
Cellulose Acetate
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingMandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningActinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientHoney Extract
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cellulose Acetate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Mandelic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Honey Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningPEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate
Surfactant
Glycerin
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Triethanolamine
BufferingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingMandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
PEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Laureth-13 Carboxylate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingPEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-10
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Benzalkonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
BHT
Antioxidant
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Glycerin, Gluconolactone, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Triethanolamine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Mandelic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, PEG-150 Distearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Laureth-13 Carboxylate, Sodium Chloride, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Polyquaternium-10, Polysorbate 20, Benzalkonium Chloride, BHT, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinMandelic Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA).
Like other AHAs, it helps exfoliate the surface of the skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
Mandelic acid helps with:
Due to it having a larger molecular size than glycolic acid, mandelic acid is able to penetrate the skin more slowly and evenly. This makes it gentler and less irritating, making it a great option for sensitive or beginner skin.
Despite being milder, mandelic acid is still an effective exfoliant that improves skin texture and tone over time.
What makes mandelic acid stand out from other AHAs? It has antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
These traits make it a great option for acne-prone or problem skin by reducing active breakouts and fading post-acne marks. Studies show that mandelic acid (especially when combined with salicylic acid) can significantly reduce pimples and hyperpigmentation while causing fewer side effects than stronger acids.
Mandelic acid is effective in concentrations of 5% and up with an ideal pH range of 3-4 for at-home use.
Like other AHAs, it’s important to wear sunscreen daily to protect your newly exfoliated skin.
However, unlike glycolic acid, mandelic acid is light-sensitive. Be sure your mandelic acid is packaged in opaque containers to ensure it stays stable and effective.
In short, mandelic acid is a gentle yet powerful AHA that exfoliates, brightens, and helps clarify skin while keeping irritation low. Its antibacterial action makes it especially beneficial for those with acne-prone, sensitive, or uneven skin, offering smoother, clearer, and more even-toned results over time.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Mandelic AcidPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
