Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Herbivore Aquarius BHA + Blue Tansy Clarity Cleanser Versus Paula's Choice Calm Ultra-Gentle Cleanser

Herbivore Aquarius BHA + Blue Tansy Clarity Cleanser Versus Paula's Choice Calm Ultra-Gentle Cleanser This mild gel cleanser is mild enough to cleanse without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped. This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and s

Herbivore Aquarius BHA + Blue Tansy Clarity Cleanser Versus Paula's Choice Calm Ultra-Gentle Cleanser

This mild gel cleanser is mild enough to cleanse without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped.

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

Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Glycerin

Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate

Lauryl Glucoside

Coco-Glucoside

Salix Nigra Bark Extract

Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil

Zinc PCA

Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Sodium Levulinate

Sodium Anisate

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Menthyl Lactate

Citric Acid

Sodium Benzoate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Lactobacillus Ferment

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Betaine

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Water, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Lauryl Glucoside, Coco-Glucoside, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil, Zinc PCA, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Menthyl Lactate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lactobacillus Ferment, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Betaine, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate

Cellulose Gum

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Hydroxyacetophenone

Inulin

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium Phytate

Cellulose

Fructose

Glucose

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate, Cellulose Gum, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Inulin, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Cellulose, Fructose, Glucose, Phenoxyethanol

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.

This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.

Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.

While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Side-by-side

  1. 01Water
  2. 02Glycerin
  3. 03Butylene Glycol
  4. 04Dimethicone
  5. 05Sodium Polyacrylate
  6. 06Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
  7. 07Iris Florentina Root Extract
  8. 08Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
  9. 09Epigallocatechin Gallate
  10. 10Hydrogenated Polydecene
  11. 11Trideceth-6
  12. 12Sodium Hyaluronate
  13. 13Squalane
  14. 14Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
  15. 15Ethylhexyl Palmitate
  16. 16PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate
  17. 17Alcohol
  18. 18Allantoin
  19. 19Propanediol
  20. 20C12-15 Alkyl Lactate
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

Read side by side