Skin science article
Tula Skincare The Cult Classic Purifying Face Cleanser Versus Murad Soothing Oat and Peptide Cleanser
Tula Skincare The Cult Classic Purifying Face Cleanser Versus Murad Soothing Oat and Peptide Cleanser This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin. What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Water
Tula Skincare The Cult Classic Purifying Face Cleanser Versus Murad Soothing Oat and Peptide Cleanser
This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your skin.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
Sodium Hydroxypropylsulfonate Laurylglucoside Crosspolymer
Lauryl Glucoside
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
Sodium Chloride
Disteareth-75 Ipdi
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Cichorium Intybus Root Extract
Camelina Sativa Seed Oil
Lactose
Lactis Proteinum
Yogurt Powder
Olus Oil
Tocopheryl Acetate
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Panthenol
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Polysorbate 20
Butylene Glycol
Inulin
Pentylene Glycol
Caprylyl Glycol
Coco-Glucoside
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Ethylhexylglycerin
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Sorbitan Isostearate
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Glutaral
Glycerin
Citric Acid
Sodium Hydroxide
Sorbic Acid
Phenoxyethanol
Benzoic Acid
Phenethyl Alcohol
Parfum
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Benzyl Benzoate
Citronellol
Hexyl Cinnamal
Limonene
Linalool
Water, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Hydroxypropylsulfonate Laurylglucoside Crosspolymer, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Sodium Chloride, Disteareth-75 Ipdi, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Cichorium Intybus Root Extract, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Lactose, Lactis Proteinum, Yogurt Powder, Olus Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Inulin, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Glucoside, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Glutaral, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Phenethyl Alcohol, Parfum, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool
Propanediol
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
Squalane
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
Betaine
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Saccharide Isomerate
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Polyisobutene
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
Sodium Surfactin
Sorbitan Oleate
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Chlorphenesin
Sodium Benzoate
Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Betaine, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Surfactin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sorbitan Oleate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate
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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.
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.
This is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Sorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
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!