Naturium Fermented Camellia Creamy Cleansing Oil Versus Paula's Choice The Unscrub

Naturium Fermented Camellia Creamy Cleansing Oil Versus Paula's Choice The Unscrub

This oil-based makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and daily buildup.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Glycerin

Water

Sucrose Laurate

Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Melia Azadirachta Extract

Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil

Phenoxyethanol

Butylene Glycol

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Tocopherol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Water, Sucrose Laurate, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol

Jojoba Esters

PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate

Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Decyl Glucoside

PPG-20 Methyl Glucose Ether

Glyceryl Stearate

Stearyl Alcohol

Polyacrylamide

Sapindus Mukorossi Peel Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Xanthan Gum

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Caprylyl Glycol

Citric Acid

Disodium EDTA

Laureth-7

Ethylhexylglycerin

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

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract comes from the leaves of the tea oil plant, the cousin of the green tea plant Camellia Sinensis. This ingredient is mainly added to skincare as a mild skin-conditioning and astringent ingredient.

Early lab studies show it can calm inflammation and slightly inhibit the enzyme that triggers dark spots. Modern studies also show it to have antibacterial and antioxidant effects that support anti-inflammatory use.

There's no dedicated safety review for this ingredient for now, but its cousin Camellia Sinensis has been reviewed and found to be without safety concerns.

Like most botanical extracts, this ingredient carries a low but real chance of contact allergy or mild irritation in sensitive individuals.

Caprylic/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.

Though 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.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While 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.

Fractionated 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.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This 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 at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

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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