La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream Versus Paula's Choice Resist Optimal Results Hydrating Cleanser

La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Hydrating Cleansing Cream Versus Paula's Choice Resist Optimal Results Hydrating Cleanser

This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Propanediol

Glycerin

Pentylene Glycol

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Niacinamide

Coco-Glucoside

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Zinc PCA

Sodium Hydroxide

Disodium EDTA

Caprylyl Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Parfum

Water, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Niacinamide, Coco-Glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Zinc PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Decyl Glucoside

PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate

PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether

Methyl Gluceth-20

Glyceryl Stearate

Stearyl Alcohol

Polyacrylamide

Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Sapindus Mukorossi Peel Extract

Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Laureth-7

Xanthan Gum

Citric Acid

Hexylene Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Sapindus Mukorossi Peel Extract, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

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.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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%.

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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