Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser Versus Cocokind Oil To Milk Cleanser

Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser Versus Cocokind Oil To Milk Cleanser This salicylic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Salicylic Acid to clear breakouts and unclog pores. This oil-based makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, a

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser Versus Cocokind Oil To Milk Cleanser

This salicylic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Salicylic Acid to clear breakouts and unclog pores.

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

Salicylic Acid

Water

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer

Glycerin

PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Arginine

Butylene Glycol

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate

Panthenol

Disodium EDTA

Citric Acid

PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Sodium Citrate

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Chlorphenesin

Salicylic Acid, Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Acrylates/Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Glycerin, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Arginine, Butylene Glycol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Sucrose Laurate

Avena Sativa Kernel Oil

Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil

Sucrose Stearate

Tocopherol

Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil

Sucrose Palmitate

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Lactobacillus Ferment

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Water, Sucrose Laurate, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Sucrose Stearate, Tocopherol, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Sucrose Palmitate, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment

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.

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

Paula's Choice Clear Purifying Clay MaskIngredients explained

  1. 01It's one of the gold standard ingredients for treating problem skin
  2. 02It can exfoliate skin both on the surface and in the pores
  3. 03It's a potent anti-inflammatory agent
  4. 04It's more effective for treating blackheads than acne
  5. 05For acne combine it with antibacterial agents like benzoyl peroxide or azelaic acid
  6. 06Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
  7. 07It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
  8. 08Expand to read more
  9. 09Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
  10. 10One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
  11. 11Kaolin is a type of clay or to be precise, a naturally occurring hydrous aluminum silicate. When you hear clay, you probably think of a muddy greenish-black mess, but that one is bentonite, and this one is a fine, white powder. It is so white that i…
  12. 12As a clay, it's absorbent and can suck up excess sebum and gunk from your skin, but less so than the more aggressive bentonite. As it's less absorbent, it's also less drying and gentler on the skin, so it's ideal for dry and sensitive skin types.
  13. 13When it comes to oil-absorbing clay masks, bentonite will probably be one of the first ingredients on the INCI list. Technically bentonite clay is mostly montmorillonite + something else, and thanks to the something else bit, bentonite comes in diff…
  14. 14The color depends on the mineral content of the clay: white bentonite is rich in boron and fluoride, yellow is rich in manganese and zinc, green is rich in copper, zinc, and manganese and the pink clay is rich in boron.
  15. 15No matter the color, bentonite is excellent at absorbing things: it can suck up the sebum and gunk from the skin and make it instantly smooth and matte. Not only that, but bentonite has a negative ionic charge and thus can attract things with a posi…
  16. 16Thanks to bentonite's effect against bad bacteria and pathogens, there is also some research showing that bentonite can help to calm skin infections, soothe skin allergies and might work for skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.
  17. 17On the other hand, the downside of bentonite being such a good absorbent is that it can suck up more than the excess sebum and used too often, it can easily dry out the skin. So use it for good measure, and never forget to moisturize afterwards.
  18. 18Titanium Dioxide is one of the two members of the elite sunscreen group called physical sunscreens (or inorganic sunscreens if you’re a science geek and want to be precise).
  19. 19Traditionally, UV-filters are categorized as either chemical or physical. The big difference is supposed to be that chemical agents absorb UV-light while physical agents reflect it like a bunch of mini umbrellas on top of the skin. While this catego…
  20. 20Anyway, it doesn't matter if it reflects or absorbs, Titanium Dioxide is a pretty awesome sunscreen agent for two main reasons: it gives a nice broad spectrum coverage and it's highly stable. Its protection is very good between 290 - 350 nm (UVB and…
Source · incidecoder.com ⟶
02

Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

Read side by side

Continue reading

Related articles