wow Snow Queen this is a great post with some really good information! Keep up the excellent work, and thanks for all your time and effort.

 

Thanks! I know there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what products are good for the skin (and specifically acne), so I was hoping to clear some of that up.

 

Hey snow queen, you seem pretty knoledgable about all these products, what do you think about Dove cool moisture cleanser? its very gentle, but it seems really thick and not sudsy. at first i thught they made a mistake at the factory and stuck some body lotion in a cleanser bottle!

Can i use ceptahil cleanser?

Hi Snow Queen, I notice that you use Paula's Choice Balancing Toner and 2% BHA liquid. Have you tried any other

of her products? I have the balancing face wash, toner, 1% BHA lotion, moisturiser and SP15. I have noticed that I haven't seen many others using a whole range of her products, I also read some average reviews on Makeupalley (hope I'm allowed to say that, apologies if I'm not) Just wondered if you had any experience of trying other PC's products and if so what did you think of them.

Kind regards

SweetAmber said:

Dear Snowqueen, I have some questions about sunscreen

- there are 2 kinds of sunscreen right? mineral based and chemical? Can you please explain what the difference is between these filters and I would like to know whats best for your skin to use now that the summer is comming.

- Is it the right thing to first put on moisturizer and on top sunscreen or can I use sunscreen alone?

Hi SweetAmber,

Here's some links that you might find interesting which overview sunscreens, both chemical and physical:

http://www.doctorgoodskin.com/pd/sunscreen/types.php

http://www.doctorgoodskin.com/pd/sunscreen...lsunscreens.php

http://www.doctorgoodskin.com/pd/sunscreen...lsunscreens.php

You might also find this link helpful, which includes information on proper sunscreen application:

[Removed link]

A large part of which sunscreen ultimately works best for you can only be found through trial and error. For example, a sunscreen might offer good broad-spectrum sun protection without causing breakouts or irritation in most other people, but it does for you.

Physical sunscreens seem to be more likely to clog pores, but synthetic sunscreens are more likely to cause irritation (irritation can also trigger breakouts). If you notice that your skin seems more sensitized than that of others I recommend you try a physical sunscreen first.

If you're participating in outdoor summer activities like swimming or anything that causes you to sweat, you need to use a water-resistant sunscreen and follow the application tips mentioned above in the "Sun Essentials" article. It would also be helpful to wear a hat and sunglasses to further sheild yourself from the sun. I should also mention that sun damage can lead to cataracts of the eyes, which is another reason to wear sunglasses.

If you find that your skin doesn't seem dry when just applying yout sunscreen alone, you don't need to use a moisturizer under it. Otherwise, apply moisturizer under your sunscreen to these dry areas of skin. Sunscreen should always be the last skincare product applied to your face, since the use of other skincare products over it can reduce its effectiveness by diluting it.

I'm trying my darndest to stay away from Dermalogica, but it's so tempting because my skin tone became quite a bit better on their regimen that people kept commenting about it. Their staggering prices keep me away, though. I've heard a lot of negative reviews online, but it's a favourite amongst my IRL acquaintances and it seemed to improve my skin tone at least (and quite immediately) so I don't really know what to make of it. I did have a facial from them right before I started using their products though, so maybe that factors into it. Do you recommend regular facials, by the way? Like once a month or once every two months.

 

Thanks for the note about the gel/liquid form. I like the 2% gel so far, but notice you have the liquid in your regimen. Can you apply that with your fingers? Or do you have to use the spray or a cotton ball/pad? I'd prefer if I could use my fingers as I'm worried about the cotton pad irritating my skin (in which case I should probably find another brand of cotton pad...? *laughs*)

 

I'm putting together a shopping cart at Paula's, and just have a couple more questions, if you don't mind. ^^;; If I'm only going to moisturise the dry/normal areas of my face, and these areas appear relatively insensitive to which moisturiser I use, would it still be beneficial to switch to Paula's Skin Balancing Moisture Gel or HydraLight Moisture-Infusing Lotion? (I find it confusing that she has multiple products for the same skin type, I can't decide which to use!) Lastly, what are your thoughts on toners and/or hydrating serums? Even though my T-zone is oily, it's dehydrated and there are fine lines on the skin. Would one of Paula's toners suffice to give hydration to those areas of the skin, or would you recommend something specifically for hydrating?

 

Thanks again for taking the time and effort to respond to these posts.

 

Your skin's apparant improvement while using Dermalogica products was probably coincidence, especially if you noticed such quick results (not that you can't ever notice quick results from a regimen, I just am a firm believer that most good at-home regimens take time to make a longterm noticeable improvement in the skin). It is also possible that whatever you were using before Dermalogica was worse and/or more irritating, which could also account for the improvement in your skin's appearance. You could also have been using Dermalogica at a time when your stress levels were lower, the time of year was better for your skin, etc.... If Dermalogica was so wonderful, think as to why you stopped using them, other than their high prices. Maybe some of your skin concerns that had initially improved while you were using the product line came back?

 

If you do get regular facials, that can be fine, but I really wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Despite what many people think any benefits tend to be shortterm (like those obtained from extractions) and many can be replicated from proper at-home skincare. Sometimes the esthetician can even make your skin worse by being overly aggressive and using irritating products/treatments. If you were getting chemical peels or microdermabrasion and your skin seemed to be improving, than I would recommend you maintain those treatments, but otherwise you don't really need to go in to get facials.

 

You can apply the 2% BHA Liquid with your fingers (I do), but this can be messy, which is why many people prefer using the gel.

 

You might want to try samples of the two moisturizers and see which one works better for you. Toners can be enough hydration for oily skin types; if you experience any uncomfortable tightness you'd probably be safest with applying a gel moisturizer. It's OK to experiment and find what works best for you.

 

 

SnowQueen,

This thread is a great resource and I appreciate the effort you put in trying to help the people who seek your advice. However, I have to disagree with your comments about estheticians. It is true, as with any profession, there are good ones, and ones not so good. Good (most) estheticians know better than to be overly aggressive and use products too harsh for an individual....much more so than the average person does. You are right when you say home care is key (and most estheticians stress this)....but it is important to remember that there are sooooo many people out there that don't know what good home care is, let alone the difference between a breakout and irritation. There are many more people out there who could use guidance in these areas than there are those in here that have found your thread. And an esthetician or doc has the advantage of seeing and feeling what's actually going on with someone's skin. Microdermabrasion and chemical peels can be nice additions to some peoples skin care routines but they are not the sole purpose for seeking an esthetician, neither are extractions. I believe the area they can be of most importance is in accurately assessing the current condition of the skin and determining the best approach and products to correct any problems....regular facials can be very important in the beginning in order to monitor the progress and address any additonal concerns that may arise as the skin is brought back to a healthy condition. Is it necessary to go every week or two or every month forever? No. There is a point when you need only go for 'maintenance' depending on what it is you are trying to accomplish. But, in the beginnning, it can be important. And skin care routines may need to be altered at any given time as your skin does not behave the same way forever. It's important to educate people as to the best way to care for their skin, as you are trying to do here. There are many more people who bounce from product to product or script to script, looking for that 'one' thing that will put an end to their probelms (and with all the ads that make it seem possible, I don't blame them) than who study and research and learn all they can to be able to know what's happening and why, and how to fix it. That's where a good esthetician or doc can help. They know a heck of a lot more than the average person has time to learn about how to care for different types and conditions, and can cut years off the time people spend suffering and bouncing around trying to do it themselves.

Do you think, if once you get your license and if you choose to practice, that the best you could do for people is pop some zits or do a peel or micro once in a while? I don't. I think a lot of people here find your information and advice very helpful and I think you could do even more sharing that in the real world with the added benefit of being able to see, feel, and monitor what exactly people are dealing with and helping them learn how to care for their skin for life.

 

Thank you for sharing your perspective, and please note that I do agree with most of what you say. The reason why I didn't recommend going to an esthetician for regular facials is simply because I don't feel it's necessary to treating acne. Please note that I didn't recommend against going to an esthetician in my response to Jade Phoenix. You do make a good point that regular facials can have longterm benefits in that the client can be educated about acne and how it can best be treated (if the esthetician knows what he or she is talking about, just like following advice from a doctor is beneficial only if he or she understands the client's concerns and how to treat them).

dont buy moisturizers in cream form?

then what other form do moisturizers come in?

Moisturizers can come in gel form or lotion form. Creams are often (but not always) found in jar packaging and have a thicker consistancy than lotions and gels. I should note that some products labeled as lotions really are more like creams; the reason why I advise against using creams is that they contain the kinds of waxy thickeners (like isopropyl myristate) that can clog pores in some people so that they can get their cream consistancy. However, I should also note that lotions can contain these types of thickeners as well, they're just less likely to than creams. Gels are usually the best moisturizers for acne-prone skin because they are more lightweight than lotions and creams, but the problem is that they aren't always emolient enough for some people. If you find that gel moisturizers are too lightweight to address your dry skin, try using the least-emolient moisturizer you can. You can try any of the moisturizers that are recommended in Part II of the first post to this thread as a starting point. You might find that some are not emolient enough and others are too emolient, it really just depends on you. Clogged pores take around a few weeks to form, so any breakouts you see before then would likely have occurred anyway regardless of whether or not you were trying out a new moisturizer.

Hi SnowQueen. I am not using one of your recommended BP products. Could you tell me if anything here sets off any alarms in this product I am using?

 

water,cyclomethicone, ethoxydiglycol, propylene glycol, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, cetearyl alcohol, dimethicone, panthenol, allantoin, carbomer, ceteareth-20, xanthan gum, triethanolamine, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, fragrance

 

Also, I ordered the PC 2% BHA lotion this week but I am thinking that I should have ordered the liquid since I plan to still use the BP lotion. Any thoughts on this? I am thinking BP lotion and BHA lotion is alot of lotion product to put on my face and I still have to use a moisturizer on top of that.

 

Thank you so much for this thread. It was very informative and I originally came here with LionQueen's referral to find out about the Purpose Bar Soap I was using but after reading this I now know that I need to switch that to the Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash. She also referred me to this thread because I was looking for an OTC retinol for wrinkles that was compatable with acne prone skin and I found your list for that too. So BONUS! I dont know what I would do without you and LionQueen (the skin guru's). Thanks again! Lorrie

Nothing strikes me as alarming about your benzoyl peroxide product. I probably would have ordered the liquid or gel 2% BHA, but my skin isn't the same as yours. Is your skin pone to dryness? If you have problems with both dry skin and acne, then the lotion (which is lightweight anyway) might be the best for you. You only need to apply a moisturizer after your benzoyl peroxide product if you find that your skin is still dry since unnecessary moisturization can actually cause more skin problems. This also means that if you have some areas of dryness but also some areas that are normal or oily, you should only spot moisturize those dry areas. Make sure you use a broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher sunscreen during the daytime, even if your sunscreen is moisturizing, since the consequences of unprotected sun exposure (even for brief periods, the damage from which adds up over time) outweigh those of unnecessary moisturization.

Diacneal with 6.4% Glycolic Acid Where do I find this at? Online? Drugstore?

I know Quit Picking already answered your question (Thanks!), but I just wanted to add that you should apply your BHA product at a different time of day if you decide to use Diacneal because if you applied them to your face at the same time you could be over-exfoliating (and over-irritating) your skin as salicylic acid and glycolic acid are both chemical exfoliants.

wow Snow Queen this is a great post with some really good information! Keep up the excellent work, and thanks for all your time and effort.

 

Thanks! I know there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what products are good for the skin (and specifically acne), so I was hoping to clear some of that up.

 

Hey snow queen, you seem pretty knoledgable about all these products, what do you think about Dove cool moisture cleanser? its very gentle, but it seems really thick and not sudsy. at first i thught they made a mistake at the factory and stuck some body lotion in a cleanser bottle!

 

Dove Cool Moisture Cleanser is good, but if you find it's too emolient you might prefer a less creamy cleanser, such as Olay's Gentle Foaming Facewash. I would probably recommend it first for those on this site with drier skin types or those experiencing symptoms of dry skin from environmental factors, but it's not a bad product.

Can i use ceptahil cleanser?

Yeah, Cetaphil's fine; it's not my first pick but it's not bad.

40hereIcome said:

Hi Snow Queen, I notice that you use Paula's Choice Balancing Toner and 2% BHA liquid. Have you tried any other

of her products? I have the balancing face wash, toner, 1% BHA lotion, moisturiser and SP15. I have noticed that I haven't seen many others using a whole range of her products, I also read some average reviews on Makeupalley (hope I'm allowed to say that, apologies if I'm not) Just wondered if you had any experience of trying other PC's products and if so what did you think of them.

Kind regards

I've tried some of Paula's cleansers, toners, other forms of her 2% BHA products besides the liquid, and her Skin Balancing Moisture Gel. I haven't tried any of her sunscreens or the Skin Balancing Face Wash, though I've been meaning to try more of her products starting with the sunscreens. Of all the products I tried, I liked them all. The reason why I don't use all of her products is because they must be ordered online, which isn't always practical for me. I suspect that the reasons why other acne.org members don't use her other products is because they must be ordered online and they haven't been recommended as much as the BHA products.

I've actually recommended people go to [Removed link] for makeup recommendations, keeping in mind that the reviews are anecdotal and sometimes written as a result from a product's failure to meet ridiculously high expectations. Many Makeup Alley members don't try out a product for long enough to give it a real chance or notice a breakout the very next day and blame it on that product even though acne breakouts don't happen overnight. Users might not properly apply the products or fail to properly store products, rendering them ineffective. They might use products in conjunction with those that can be rendered ineffective by them. So, I guess what I'm saying is that though you can get a good idea as to a product's effectiveness, anecdotal evidence shouldn't be the definitive factor as to whether or not one buys a product.

Hi snowqueen, I wanted you to check out some ingredients for me. Its for a cleanser, but its not a face cleanser, its a body cleanser, which i do intend to use on my body and not my face. The reason im asking is because i have eczema and i found this new body wash, it says soap free but i called the 1-800 number to double check and they said they dont think it is, haha, so i was hoping you could tell me if any of the ingredients look bad, or if it really does have soap in it or not. Also they said they ph is 6.25 to 7.20.....is that right for the body? thanks

Its the Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash (fragrance free)

Water; Glycerin; Cocamidopropyl Betaine; Sodium Laureth Sulfate; Decyl Glucoside; Oat (Avena Sativa) Flour; Glycol Stearate; Sodium Lauroampho-PG-Acetate Phosphate; Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride; Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein; PEG 20 Almond Glycerides; Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch; PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate; PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate; Propylene Glycol; Tetrasodium EDTA; PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides; Quaternium-15; Coriander (Coriandrum Sativum) Extract; Cardamom (Elettaria Cardamomum) Extract; Myrrh (Commiphora Myrrha) Extract may also contain, sodium hydroxide; citric acid

[

\ The reason why I didn't recommend going to an esthetician for regular facials is simply because I don't feel it's necessary to treating acne. \[/i

Is it just the facial part that you don't feel is necessary? Or seeing an esthetician to get the acne under control in general? Because while an actual facial could be beneficial (such as the above mentioned extractions, or peels specifically for acne, calming and soothing inflammatory prone skin, or combating the possible drying effects of a breakout busting regime) it is the knowledge and guidance in helping someone understand how to care for their skin that's most important and a reason to see one in itself.....especially with acne....and especially in the beginning. As evidenced in this thread, and on this entire board people need guidance. That's what you're trying to do here and look how many people appreciate and benefit from it.

I'm putting together a shopping cart at Paula's, and just have a couple more questions, if you don't mind. ^^;; If I'm only going to moisturise the dry/normal areas of my face, and these areas appear relatively insensitive to which moisturiser I use, would it still be beneficial to switch to Paula's Skin Balancing Moisture Gel or HydraLight Moisture-Infusing Lotion? (I find it confusing that she has multiple products for the same skin type, I can't decide which to use!)

To chime in on this point - I got samples of both of those lotions and found that the Hydralight worked better for me. (I'm dealing with dry skin, an oily T-zone, and bad problems with blackheads, whiteheads, and clogged pores.) The Moisture Gel seemed to stay on the surface of my skin and behaved badly when I put my sunscreen (Neutrogena Dry-Touch SPF 30) over the top. It seemed as if it had formed a film that sloughed off into little balls when I smoothed the sunscreen over it. The Hydralight didn't give me that problem.

And FWIW, I've been using the Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid and really like it. It's too soon to see much difference in terms of blackheads and clogged pores, but it's helping already with getting rid of the top layers of dead skin. My skin looks less dry and dull, I think. I'm getting a little bit of peeling around the nose, but not enough to cut back on using the BHA liquid.

allxnaturale said:

Hi snowqueen, I wanted you to check out some ingredients for me. Its for a cleanser, but its not a face cleanser, its a body cleanser, which i do intend to use on my body and not my face. The reason im asking is because i have eczema and i found this new body wash, it says soap free but i called the 1-800 number to double check and they said they dont think it is, haha, so i was hoping you could tell me if any of the ingredients look bad, or if it really does have soap in it or not. Also they said they ph is 6.25 to 7.20.....is that right for the body? thanks

Its the Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash (fragrance free)

Water; Glycerin; Cocamidopropyl Betaine; Sodium Laureth Sulfate; Decyl Glucoside; Oat (Avena Sativa) Flour; Glycol Stearate; Sodium Lauroampho-PG-Acetate Phosphate; Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride; Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein; PEG 20 Almond Glycerides; Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch; PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate; PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate; Propylene Glycol; Tetrasodium EDTA; PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides; Quaternium-15; Coriander (Coriandrum Sativum) Extract; Cardamom (Elettaria Cardamomum) Extract; Myrrh (Commiphora Myrrha) Extract may also contain, sodium hydroxide; citric acid

The Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash is a surfectant-based (not soap-based) cleanser and would probably be OK. However, it is not fragrance free (see the fragrant extracts toward the end of the ingredients list) and fragrance should ideally be avoided even in small concentrations if you have eczema. Granted, the fragrance isn't left on the skin for very long since it's in a rinse-off product, but if you can find one (which is easier said than done) you'd be better off with a fragrance-free body wash.

I wouldn't think the pH of Aveeno's body cleanser would be likely to cause problems.

Eucerin Baby Aquaphor Gentle Wash (sold on drugstore.com and can also sometimes be found at RiteAid) would be a good fragrance-free body cleanser. Even though it's labeled as a baby's product, it contains the same surfectants found in adult body washes. I've actually used it as both my facewash and bodywash.

Another product you could try is Paula's Choice All Over Hair and Body Shampoo, which is also fragrance-free. It can be ordered online at [Removed link]

The reason why I didn't recommend going to an esthetician for regular facials is simply because I don't feel it's necessary to treating acne.

 

Is it just the facial part that you don't feel is necessary? Or seeing an esthetician to get the acne under control in general? Because while an actual facial could be beneficial (such as the above mentioned extractions, or peels specifically for acne, calming and soothing inflammatory prone skin, or combating the possible drying effects of a breakout busting regime) it is the knowledge and guidance in helping someone understand how to care for their skin that's most important and a reason to see one in itself.....especially with acne....and especially in the beginning. As evidenced in this thread, and on this entire board people need guidance. That's what you're trying to do here and look how many people appreciate and benefit from it.

I don't feel it's necessary to see an esthetician to get acne under control in general or to get facials. I agree it can be beneficial to see an esthetician for the reasons you've mentioned, but I don't feel it's an essential part of getting acne under control, it's just one possible treatment option which is largely subject to the skill and knowledge of the esthetician. Again, I'm not saying it's bad to see an esthetician or that it's better to try and treat acne on one's own first; how beneficial seeing an esthetician is depends on the needs of the client and the esthetician's skill and knowledge.

Are alcohols bad? I know there are different ways in which alcohol can appear on the ingredient list. eg. alcohol denat etc

Also what do you think of these ingredients?

10% AHA Lotion

Water, Glycolic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Ammonium Glycolate, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Isopropyl Palmitate, PEG-40 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Sorbitan Stearate, Cholesterol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Dimethicone, Isostearic Acid, Petrolatum, Tetrasodium EDTA.

8% AHA Lotion

Water, SD Alcohol 40, Glycolic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Ammonium Glycolate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Polyquarternium-10, Polysorbate-20.

Thanks for your help snowqueen, thats actually quit interesting. Their product says fragrance free on it, but your right, i looked that up and it does say used for fragrance...haha talk about false advertising.

So heres the deal, i already used it a few times before i asked you, if i get irritated from it, i'll sue and we can split the money, haha

I don't feel it's necessary to see an esthetician to get acne under control in general or to get facials. I agree it can be beneficial to see an esthetician for the reasons you've mentioned, but I don't feel it's an essential part of getting acne under control, it's just one possible treatment option which is largely subject to the skill and knowledge of the esthetician. Again, I'm not saying it's bad to see an esthetician or that it's better to try and treat acne on one's own first; how beneficial seeing an esthetician is depends on the needs of the client and the esthetician's skill and knowledge.

I don't feel it's necessary to see an esthetician to get acne under control in general or to get facials. I agree it can be beneficial to see an esthetician for the reasons you've mentioned, but I don't feel it's an essential part of getting acne under control, it's just one possible treatment option which is largely subject to the skill and knowledge of the esthetician. Again, I'm not saying it's bad to see an esthetician or that it's better to try and treat acne on one's own first; how beneficial seeing an esthetician is depends on the needs of the client and the esthetician's skill and knowledge.

Bottom line, when you suggest to someone so generally that there is just no reason to see an esthetician other than the occasional micro, peel, or zit popping , you really are doing them a great disservice.

 

I simply said to Jade Phoenix that I didn't feel it was necessary to see an esthetician. I didn't say that estheticians should be avoided. In my last response to you I agreed that seeing an esthetician could be beneficial if he/she was skillful and knowledgeable for the reasons you stated. I don't see why you're still arguing with what I'm saying.

Thanks for your help snowqueen, thats actually quit interesting. Their product says fragrance free on it, but your right, i looked that up and it does say used for fragrance...haha talk about false advertising.

 

 

So heres the deal, i already used it a few times before i asked you, if i get irritated from it, i'll sue and we can split the money, haha

Sounds like a plan!

Snow Queen,

My posts were meant to be informative, not argumentative. And not just for you but anyone reading.

Hi snowqueen. I finally found good products to use to control my acne. I actually dont have any breakouts right now. But im still on a quest to find a decent cleanser. I like mine, but its expensive and it smells sorda bad, haha. I have 2 in mind, i'll list the ingredients. I know one of the ingredients you have listed as an irritant. "Myristic acid" could you tell me what you mean by irritant though? Ive used this cleanser before and its actually the only cleanser ive ever used that didnt dry my face out and kept it smooth. When you say irritant, i dont know if you mean it could cause acne or if you mean it could just possibly dry my face out. If you mean possibly drying then i know im fine, what im more worried about is ingredients that are going to spark acne or that are bad for my skin. Do either of them have ingredients like that? Lastly, are either of them considered soap-free? Im assuming the second cleanser would be the better of the two. thank you

Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Potassiumhydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Coc-Glucoside, PEG-4 Dilaurate, PEG-4 Laurate, PEG-4, Tetrasodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Parfum

Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Coco-glucoside, Tetrasodium EDTA

Hi snowqueen. I finally found good products to use to control my acne. I actually dont have any breakouts right now. But im still on a quest to find a decent cleanser. I like mine, but its expensive and it smells sorda bad, haha. I have 2 in mind, i'll list the ingredients. I know one of the ingredients you have listed as an irritant. "Myristic acid" could you tell me what you mean by irritant though? Ive used this cleanser before and its actually the only cleanser ive ever used that didnt dry my face out and kept it smooth. When you say irritant, i dont know if you mean it could cause acne or if you mean it could just possibly dry my face out. If you mean possibly drying then i know im fine, what im more worried about is ingredients that are going to spark acne or that are bad for my skin. Do either of them have ingredients like that? Lastly, are either of them considered soap-free? Im assuming the second cleanser would be the better of the two. thank you

 

Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Potassium hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Coc-Glucoside, PEG-4 Dilaurate, PEG-4 Laurate, PEG-4, Tetrasodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Parfum

 

Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Coco-glucoside, Tetrasodium EDTA

Myristic acid can be drying when used as a surfectant. However, in your cleanser it is listed third on the ingredients list after glycerin, which is probably why you don't notice it causing you any dryness.

Potassium hydroxide is alkaline and used in soap. In small concentrations it's fine, but in high concentrations it's irritating. The cleansers probably don't contain that much potassium hydroxide.

The second cleanser looks better than the first simply because it lacks fragrance, but they're both pretty similar other than that.

There's really no reason why you should pay a lot for a cleanser (and there's nothing special I see about the ones you've mentioned) because drugstore cleansers can do the same thing as specialty store cleansers and use the same types of cleansing agents. Any fancy ingredients in specialty store cleansers just get rinsed away from the skin. You can check out some of the cleansers recommended in Part II of the first post to this thread.

Could you tell me if these ingredients look alright?? The first ones my cleansing agent I just got it and like it, its fragrance free which is good because i hate strong smells, but i wanted to have you double check the ingredients. The second one is my moisturizer which i used during the summer, but sorda didnt work during the winter. Thanks

Aqua/Water, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Dimethyl Ether, PEG-30 Glyceryl Cocoate, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Chloride, Isobutane, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Bisabolol, Butane, Zinc PCA, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Propane, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 21, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Octyldodecanol, DI-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Aluminium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Nylon-66, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetyl Alcohol, Nylon-12, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Zinc PCA, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Salicylic Acid, Propylparaben, Parfum/Fragance.