The INKEY List Acne Clearing Moisturizer Versus Kate Somerville Eradikate Daily Cleanser

The INKEY List Acne Clearing Moisturizer Versus Kate Somerville Eradikate Daily Cleanser

This acne moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Retinol to clear breakouts and refine skin texture.

This sulfur cream cleanser is formulated around Sulfur to clear breakouts.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Octyldodecanol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Arachidyl Alcohol

Pentaerythrityl Distearate

Squalane

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Citronellyl Methylcrotonate

Behenyl Alcohol

Acacia Senegal Gum

Arachidyl Glucoside

Phenoxyethanol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Panthenol

Xanthan Gum

Benzyl Alcohol

Citric Acid

Retinol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Pentylene Glycol

Sodium Metabisulfite

Pistacia Lentiscus Gum

Dehydroacetic Acid

Lecithin

Glucose

Tocopherol

Glyceryl Caprylate

Water, Glycerin, Octyldodecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Citronellyl Methylcrotonate, Behenyl Alcohol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Arachidyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Retinol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Metabisulfite, Pistacia Lentiscus Gum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lecithin, Glucose, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Caprylate

Sulfur 3%

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Coco-Glucoside

Acrylates Copolymer

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycereth-18 Ethylhexanoate

Glycereth-18

Stearyl Alcohol

Honey Extract

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Oligopeptide-10

Boswellia Serrata Extract

Caprylyl Glycol

Hexylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Parfum

Sodium Hydroxide

Disodium EDTA

Disodium Carboxyethyl Siliconate

Linalool

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

CI 77891

CI 77491

Sulfur 3%, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Coco-Glucoside, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycereth-18 Ethylhexanoate, Glycereth-18, Stearyl Alcohol, Honey Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Oligopeptide-10, Boswellia Serrata Extract, Behenyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Carboxyethyl Siliconate, Linalool, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, CI 77891, CI 77491

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.

Behenyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol (these are different from the drying, solvent alcohols).

Fatty Alcohols have hydrating properties and are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils; behenyl alcohol is derived from the fats of vegetable oils.

Emollients help keep your skin soft and hydrated by creating a film that traps moisture in.

In 2000, Behenyl Alcohol was approved by the US as medicine to reduce the duration of cold sores.

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.

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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