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Skin science article

Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser Versus Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser

Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser Versus Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin. This mild gel cleanser is mild enough to cleanse without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped.

Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser Versus Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser

This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin.

This mild gel cleanser is mild enough to cleanse without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Prunus Mume Fruit Water

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Glycerin

Sodium Chloride

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Houttuynia Cordata Extract

Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract

Oryza Sativa Extract

Prunus Mume Fruit Extract

Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract

Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride

Coconut Acid

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Isethionate

Citric Acid

Butylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Dextrin

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract

Propylene Glycol Laurate

Sodium Citrate

Disodium EDTA

Water, Prunus Mume Fruit Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Coconut Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Isethionate, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dextrin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Propylene Glycol Laurate, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate

Panthenol

Niacinamide

Pantolactone

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Sodium Benzoate

Parfum

Amyl Cinnamal

Citronellol

Geraniol

Hydroxycitronellal

Linalool

Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Pantolactone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Amyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

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.

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.

You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.

You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.

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. Remember to stay hydrated!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
  4. 04Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
  5. 05Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
  6. 06Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
  7. 07This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
  8. 08On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
  9. 09One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too st…
  10. 10Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
  11. 11You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
  12. 12Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
  13. 13In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
  14. 14Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
  15. 15Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
  16. 16Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
  17. 17You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
  18. 18Water. 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.
  19. 19So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
  20. 20You'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!
Source · skinsort.com
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Product index

Related product references

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Comparison edit

Read side by side