Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Perfectly Natural Cleansing Gel Versus Good Molecules Rosewater Daily Cleansing Gel

Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Perfectly Natural Cleansing Gel Versus Good Molecules Rosewater Daily Cleansing Gel

This mild gel cleanser is mild enough to cleanse without leaving skin feeling tight or stripped.

This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin.

What's inside

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Decyl Glucoside

Glycerin

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate

Lauryl Glucoside

Xanthan Gum

Coco-Glucoside

Glucose

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate

Glyceryl Oleate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Carrageenan

Sodium Phytate

Citric Acid

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Coco-Glucoside, Glucose, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Glyceryl Oleate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Carrageenan, Sodium Phytate, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate

Propanediol

Coco-Betaine

Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Dehydroxanthan Gum

Rosa Damascena Flower Water

Caprylyl Glyceryl Ether

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Coco-Betaine, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Citric Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glyceryl Ether, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

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.

We don't have a description for Sodium Cocoamphoacetate yet.

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate is a gentle cleanser and surfactant. It is the sodium salt of the Cocoyl Glutamic Acid and comes from coconut oil. As a surfactant, it helps lift dirt and oil to be washed away.

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate also has an emolliating effect and can help leave the skin feeling soft.

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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