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MediCube Zero Pore Pad Versus First Aid Beauty 2% Salicylic Acid Acne Clearing Pads

MediCube Zero Pore Pad Versus First Aid Beauty 2% Salicylic Acid Acne Clearing Pads This pore-care toner pad uses a pre-saturated pad with Lactic Acid and Salicylic Acid to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture. This acne treatment pad uses a pre-sa

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

MediCube Zero Pore Pad Versus First Aid Beauty 2% Salicylic Acid Acne Clearing Pads

This pore-care toner pad uses a pre-saturated pad with Lactic Acid and Salicylic Acid to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture.

This acne treatment pad uses a pre-saturated pad with Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil to clear breakouts and balance excess oil.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Methylpropanediol

Tromethamine

Lactic Acid

Alcohol Denat.

1,2-Hexanediol

Panthenol

Glycereth-26

Salicylic Acid

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Betaine

Trehalose

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Glycerin

Allantoin

Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate

Disodium EDTA

Butylene Glycol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Betaine Salicylate

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

Citrus Limon Peel Oil

Citrus Grandis Peel Oil

Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil

Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract

Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract

Citrus Limon Fruit Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract

Ethyl Hexanediol

Centella Asiatica Extract

Salix Alba Bark Extract

Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract

Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract

Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract

Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Portulaca Oleracea Extract

Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract

Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract

Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract

Pueraria Lobata Root Extract

Limonene

Water, Methylpropanediol, Tromethamine, Lactic Acid, Alcohol Denat., 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Glycereth-26, Salicylic Acid, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Betaine, Trehalose, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Allantoin, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Betaine Salicylate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Ethyl Hexanediol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Limonene

Polysorbate 80

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Citrate

Kaolin

Salix Nigra Bark Extract

Sodium Benzoate

Potassium Sorbate

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil

Capryloyl Glycine

Hexylene Glycol

Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract

Citric Acid

Oleanolic Acid

Water, Polysorbate 80, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate, Kaolin, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Glycerin, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Capryloyl Glycine, Hexylene Glycol, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Citric Acid, Oleanolic Acid

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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.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

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.

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil is an essential oil also known as rosemary essential oil. In skincare, it is a skin conditioning agent and also acts as a natural fragrance that gives products a fresh/herby smell.

The oil is a mix of over 100 volatile compounds with 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, camphor, and verbenone usually leading the pack.

Lab studies credit this oil with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity. Some research even show rosemary compounds calming acne-related inflammation.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be nonsensitizing.

Since this is a fragrant essential oil, the main concern is for fragrance-sensitive folks.

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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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 Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
  4. 04Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
  5. 05Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
  6. 06In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
  7. 07There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
  8. 08Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
  9. 09A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
  10. 10The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
  11. 11Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
  12. 12Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
  13. 13Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
  14. 14Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
  15. 15In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
  16. 16While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
  17. 17Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
  18. 18This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
  19. 19This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures…
  20. 20Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

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