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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser versus ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub .

Published on March 20, 2023

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain BHA and Vitamin E

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

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
Exfoliator 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).

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.

Price

Shop

Buy Exfoliating Cleanser

Shop

Buy Dual Action Scrub

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

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Vitamin E
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (3)

Notable Ingredients

AHA
BHA
Retinoid
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Exfoliators (3)

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (3)
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores (3)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (5)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin (4)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (3)
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Ingredients Compared

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

Water • Sodium Laureth Sulfate • Acrylates Copolymer • Jojoba Esters • Glycerin • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate • Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine • Sodium Hydroxide • Cellulose • Mannitol • Caprylyl Alcohol • Niacin • Ammonium Lactate • Salicylic Acid • Disodium EDTA • Tocopheryl Acetate • Parfum • Limonene • Linalool • Niacinamide • Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose • Sodium PCA • Biosaccharide Gum-1 • Ethylhexylglycerin • Hexylene Glycol • Butylene Glycol • Phenoxyethanol • CI 77289

Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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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

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub contains this as ingredient number 9.

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

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 5.

ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub contains this as ingredient number 4.

3
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 15.

ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub contains this as ingredient number 7.

4
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.

One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.

Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.

Learn more about Tocopheryl Acetate

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 17.

ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub contains this as ingredient number 22.

5
What it does: Masking, Perfuming
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 18.

ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub contains this as ingredient number 16.

6
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid and is naturally occurring on human skin.

The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.

Sodium PCA is a has conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.

Learn more about Sodium PCA

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 23.

ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub contains this as ingredient number 11.

7
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 28.

ZO Skin Health Dual Action Scrub contains this as ingredient number 13.

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

34% are loved or liked
10% have mixed ratings
45% are disliked or very disliked
10% have no rating yet
33% are loved or liked
7% have mixed ratings
41% are disliked or very disliked
19% 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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Alternatives

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