Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Cleanser Versus Paula's Choice Calm Ultra-Gentle Cleanser

Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Cleanser Versus Paula's Choice Calm Ultra-Gentle Cleanser

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

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate

Butylene Glycol

Coco-Glucoside

Glycerin

Xanthan Gum

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate

Arctium Majus Root Water

Allantoin

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Tocopherol

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Isoamyl Laurate

Polysorbate 20

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Tetrasodium EDTA

Citric Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Butylene Glycol, Coco-Glucoside, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Arctium Majus Root Water, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Isoamyl Laurate, Polysorbate 20, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate

Cellulose Gum

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Hydroxyacetophenone

Inulin

Sodium Phytate

Cellulose

Fructose

Glucose

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

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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.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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