Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser Versus Vanicream Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser Versus Vanicream Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar Detailed comparison of Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser versus Vanicream Z-Bar Medicated Cleansing Bar. This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry. Water Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate Sodium Lauroamphoacetate Stearic Acid Glycerin Glycol Distearate Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Acrylates Copolymer Cetearyl Alcohol Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract Sodium Chloride Sodium Hydroxide Xanthan Gum Caprylyl Glycol Hexylene Glycol Disodium EDTA Phenoxyethanol Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glycol Distearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol Zinc Pyrithione 2% Coconut Acid Sodium Isethionate Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate Petrolatum Sorbitol Propanediol Ceteareth-20 Simethicone Glyceryl Stearate PEG-30 Stearate Sorbic Acid Zinc Pyrithione 2%, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Coconut Acid, Water, Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Chloride, Petrolatum, Sorbitol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Ceteareth-20, Simethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-30 Stearate, Sorbic Acid These ingredients are found in both products. Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount. Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier. Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient. It plays several roles in a formula: Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products. Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people. However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers. Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy. Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans. Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients. This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize. A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe. 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. Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier. The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product. This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product. This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast. Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier. In cos