First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser Versus Clinique All About Clean Liquid Facial Soap

First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser Versus Clinique All About Clean Liquid Facial Soap

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Glycerin

Stearic Acid

Hydrogenated Coconut Acid

Sodium Isethionate

Stearyl Alcohol

Allantoin

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Tocopherol

Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate

Phenoxyethanol

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate

Sodium PCA

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Coco-Glucoside

Glyceryl Oleate

Sodium Chloride

Disodium EDTA

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Maltodextrin

Tetrasodium EDTA

Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Coconut Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Stearyl Alcohol, Allantoin, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium PCA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Maltodextrin, Tetrasodium EDTA

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Lauramidopropyl Betaine

Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate

Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate

Di-PPG-2 Myreth-10 Adipate

PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

Sucrose

Sodium Hyaluronate

Cetyl Triethylmonium Dimethicone PEG-8 Succinate

Butylene Glycol

Hexylene Glycol

Polyquaternium-7

Laureth-2

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Sulfate

Tocopheryl Acetate

EDTA

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate, Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate, Di-PPG-2 Myreth-10 Adipate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sucrose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetyl Triethylmonium Dimethicone PEG-8 Succinate, Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-7, Laureth-2, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Sulfate, Tocopheryl Acetate, EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

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.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is the filtered, stabilized liquid pressed from the inner gel of the aloe vera leaf.

In cosmetics, it shows up as either soothing active or a water-replacement base. It is roughly 98-99% water and the last 1-2% is an interesting mix of polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.

The polysaccharides do most of the work: they bind water at the skin surface for a light, non-greasy hydration boost. And one of the polysaccharides, glycomannan, is linked to fibroblast stimulation + collagen synthesis. This is also why aloe has such a long track record in wound and burn healing.

This ingredient is also calming with anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity, making it a great pick for sensitive, irritated, or post-sun skin.

Realistic expectations matter though; the solid evidence is mostly limited to hydration, soothing, and wound support. Deeper claims about anti-aging or sun protection are not well backed, and science reviews note it does not prevent radiation-induced skin injury.

Because it plays well with almost everything, it's commonly used as a base alongside other actives like niacinamide or vitamin C.

Typical usage concentrations range from 0.5% (where hydration benefits already show up) all the way to 90%+ (where it replaces water as the main base).

The safety for this ingredient is well-establish as well. Overall, this is a great supporting ingredient for those who want a boost in hydration.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One 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 strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

Phenoxyethanol 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.

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!

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