First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Purifying Mask With Red Clay Versus CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser

First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Purifying Mask With Red Clay Versus CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser

This wash off mask is made with Lactobacillus Ferment and Bentonite for a rinse-off oil-control boost.

This salicylic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Salicylic Acid to clear breakouts and unclog pores.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Polyvinyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Lactobacillus Ferment

Glycereth-26

PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether

Polysorbate 20

Illite

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Allantoin

Bisabolol

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Bentonite

Sodium Hydroxide

Quartz

Mica

Phenoxyethanol

EDTA

Limonene

CI 77491

Water, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Glycereth-26, PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether, Polysorbate 20, Illite, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Bentonite, Sodium Hydroxide, Quartz, Mica, Phenoxyethanol, EDTA, Limonene, CI 77491

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

Niacinamide

Gluconolactone

PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate

Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate

Zea Mays Oil

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Calcium Gluconate

Sodium Chloride

Salicylic Acid

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Cholecalciferol

Cholesterol

Disodium EDTA

Tetrasodium EDTA

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Niacinamide, Gluconolactone, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Zea Mays Oil, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Chloride, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholecalciferol, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

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.

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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