Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

PCA Skin Facial Wash Versus CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

PCA Skin Facial Wash Versus CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser This lactic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Lactic Acid to exfoliate and smooth skin. This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while respecting your skin barrier. What's inside Key Ingredients

PCA Skin Facial Wash Versus CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

This lactic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Lactic Acid to exfoliate and smooth skin.

This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while respecting your skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Lactic Acid

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate

Sodium Chloride

Propanediol

Sodium Hydroxide

Phenoxyethanol

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium Benzoate

Caprylyl Glycol

Chlorphenesin

Potassium Sorbate

Allantoin

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Salix Nigra Bark Extract

Amorphophallus Konjac Root Powder

Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lactic Acid, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Chloride, Propanediol, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Amorphophallus Konjac Root Powder

Glycerin

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate

Niacinamide

PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides

Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate

Propylene Glycol

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Methylparaben

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Cholesterol

Disodium EDTA

Propylparaben

Citric Acid

Tetrasodium EDTA

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Niacinamide, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Propylene Glycol, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is a synthetic cleansing agent, though it is derived from coconut oil.

It is used to enhance the texture of products by boosting lather and thickening the texture. As a cleanser, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is mild.

Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.

You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.

You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.

You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.

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

PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Microneedle Eye PatchesIngredients explained

  1. 01It's a special "cross-linked" from of IT-moisturizer, hyaluronic acid (HA). Cross-linked means that "normal" HA pieces (1-2 million Da molecular weight) are chemically bound togeather to create a big, "infinite" mesh.
  2. 02The special HA mesh has a remarkable water-binding capacity, 5 times more than the already crazy water-binding capacity of "normal" HA. This water filled crosslinked HA gel forms a smooth film on the skin and continuously delivers the bound water, s…
  3. 03Expand to read more
  4. 04Btw, crosslinking HA was developed for dermal fillers (as crosslinking helps their longevity), and this guy is the topical version of FDA approved dermal filler called Hylan B gel. Smearing crosslinked version all over ourselves is a newish thing, a…
  5. 05A very recent, 2016 research article compared the topical moisturizing effect of crosslinked HA (not Hylan B gel specifically, but something called Resilient HA or RHA), HMW-HA and LMW-HA and found that "TEWL (that is trans-epidermal water loss, the…
  6. 06All in all, we think Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is an awesome version of HA, probably superior to traditional versions, so be happy to spot it on the ingredient list.
  7. 07A type of sugar that has water-binding properties and helps to keep your skin hydrated.
  8. 08A little helper ingredient that can be a thickener, a humectant, a foam booster, an adhesion promoter and a filler. It's a blend of polysaccharides that helps to moisturize and soften the skin.
  9. 09A large sugar molecule (aka polysaccharide) that's used as a gelling agent and comes from brown seaweed.
  10. 10Combined with calcium salts, it forms a rigid gel used in "rubber masks".
  11. 11A natural moisturizer that’s also in our skin
  12. 12A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years
  13. 13Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier
  14. 14Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
  15. 15High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
  16. 16Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved.
  17. 17It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula.
  18. 18We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
  19. 19It’s a handy multi-tasking ingredient that gives the skin a nice, soft feel. At the same time, it also boosts the effectiveness of other preservatives, such as the nowadays super commonly used phenoxyethanol.
  20. 20The blend of these two (caprylyl glycol + phenoxyethanol) is called Optiphen, which not only helps to keep your cosmetics free from nasty things for a long time but also gives a good feel to the finished product. It's a popular duo.
Source · incidecoder.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

PCA Skin Hydrating Serum

PCA Skin Hydrating Serum PCA Skin Hydrating Serum ingredients explained: Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Pca, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Lactate, Gluconolacto…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →

Product

PCA Skin Clinicalm™ 1%

PCA Skin Clinicalm™ 1% PCA Skin Clinicalm™ 1% ingredients explained: Hydrocortisone (1%), Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Alcohol Denat, Cetearyl Olivate, Squalane, Olea Euro…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side