Clearstem Skincare Vitamin Scrub Versus Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser

Clearstem Skincare Vitamin Scrub Versus Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser

This smoothing exfoliator is formulated around Gluconolactone and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Sodium Lauroamphoacetate

Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate

Silica

Propanediol

Jojoba Esters

Xanthan Gum

Lecithin

Sclerotium Gum

Pullulan

Glycerin

Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract

Gluconolactone

Hydroxyacetophenone

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract

Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract

Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil

Citrus Paradisi Seed Extract

Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract

Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Citric Acid

Arginine

Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Panthenol

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil

Glucosyl Hesperidin

Lactic Acid

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Tocopherol

Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract

Ethyl 2-Methylbutyrate

Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed

Allyl Caproate

Raspberry Ketone

Maltol

Heliotropine

Vanillin

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

Triethyl Citrate

Phenethyl Alcohol

Pentylene Glycol

Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Silica, Propanediol, Jojoba Esters, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Glycerin, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract, Gluconolactone, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil, Citrus Paradisi Seed Extract, Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract, Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Arginine, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Panthenol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil, Glucosyl Hesperidin, Lactic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopherol, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Ethyl 2-Methylbutyrate, Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed, Allyl Caproate, Raspberry Ketone, Maltol, Heliotropine, Vanillin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Triethyl Citrate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol

Prunus Mume Fruit Water

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract

Sodium Chloride

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

Butylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Dextrin

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

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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.

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.

Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.

Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.

In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.

There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.

Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.

A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.

The quality of the extract matters a lot here:

Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.

Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).

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.

Hydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.

As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.

Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.

This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.

You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.

Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.

An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.

So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.

Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract is from the Neem tree. Neem trees originate from India.

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract contains antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.

The flowers of this tree are lilac colored.

This ingredient is also known as neem leaf extract. It contains natural compounds like nimbidin, quercetin, and other polyphenols that give it antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activity.

Lab studies have shown neem leaf extract can inhibit acne-related bacteria and help calm skin. Animal studies on wound gels using 1-3% neem leaf extract found it sped up healing without causing irritation.

A wound-healing study testing gels with the extract at 1%, 2%, and 3% concentrations and found none of them irritated the skin.

Most commercial products also use it in a similar low range (typically under 5%).

Allergy-wise, there are some case reports on neem oil causing allergic contact dermatitis so people with plant/botanical sensitivities may want to patch test first.

Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.

The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.

This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.

This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.

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!

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