CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser Versus The INKEY List Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser

CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser Versus The INKEY List Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser

This mild foaming cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

This gel cleanser uses mild cleansing ingredients, but contains alcohol that may feel drying for some.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate

Coco-Betaine

Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate

PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

Polysorbate 20

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate

Squalane

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Triethyl Citrate

Sodium Chloride

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Cholesterol

Citric Acid

Capryloyl Glycine

Hydroxyacetophenone

Caprylyl Glycol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

Benzoic Acid

PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate

PPG-5-Ceteth-20

PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides

Water, Glycerin, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Coco-Betaine, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Polysorbate 20, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Citric Acid, Capryloyl Glycine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Benzoic Acid, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides

Coco-Glucoside

Butylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Benzyl Alcohol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Peat

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Disodium EDTA

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Dehydroacetic Acid

Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Coco-Glucoside, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Peat, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Disodium EDTA, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate

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.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

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.

PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate isn't fungal acne safe.

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate is a synthetic, water-soluble surfactant and emulsifier.

It's a "superfatting" agent that helps replenish some of your skin's oils after they're stripped away by other surfactants.

This is why "gentle" and "moisturizing" cleansers feel less stripping than basic ones.

Typical concentrations range from 1-10% and it has a solid safety record. The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe at concentrations up to 10% in leave-on products.

Dermal application tests at 50% also did not produce irritation in two studies.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe and in vitro studies have shown Malassezia can metabolize it.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Similar Comparisons