Skin science article
First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser Versus Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel
First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser Versus Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin. What's inside Key Ingredients No key ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingr
First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser Versus Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel
This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No 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
Coco-Betaine
Propanediol
Pentylene Glycol
1,2-Hexanediol
Xanthan Gum
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Potassium Cocoate
Oryza Sativa Extract
Phyllostachys Pubescens Shoot Bark Extract
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Aspergillus Ferment Extract Filtrate
Beta-Glucan
Butylene Glycol
Trehalose
Cyclodextrin
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Pulsatilla Koreana Extract
Usnea Barbata Extract
Ethylhexylglycerin
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Betaine, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Potassium Cocoate, Oryza Sativa Extract, Phyllostachys Pubescens Shoot Bark Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Aspergillus Ferment Extract Filtrate, Beta-Glucan, Butylene Glycol, Trehalose, Citric Acid, Cyclodextrin, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
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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.
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!