Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser Versus The INKEY List Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser

Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser Versus The INKEY List Fulvic Acid Brightening Cleanser

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

This gel cleanser uses mild cleansing ingredients, but contains alcohol that may feel drying for some.

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

Coco-Glucoside

Xanthan Gum

Benzyl Alcohol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Peat

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Dehydroacetic Acid

Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Coco-Glucoside, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Peat, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Disodium EDTA, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate

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.

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.

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.

PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate isn't fungal acne safe.

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate is a synthetic, water-soluble surfactant and emulsifier.

It's a "superfatting" agent that helps replenish some of your skin's oils after they're stripped away by other surfactants.

This is why "gentle" and "moisturizing" cleansers feel less stripping than basic ones.

Typical concentrations range from 1-10% and it has a solid safety record. The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe at concentrations up to 10% in leave-on products.

Dermal application tests at 50% also did not produce irritation in two studies.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe and in vitro studies have shown Malassezia can metabolize it.

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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