
Highlights
WHAT IS IT?
Cleanser for oily skin
FEATURES
Effective cleanser for oily, combination, or acne prone skin
BEST FOR
oily
CHECKS
Does not contain fragrance (implied fragrance-free), suitable for sensitive skin
Who Is It For?
Everyone With Oily Combination Or Acne Prone SkinWhat Does It Help With?
Cleansing Oily Combination And Acne Prone SkinBudget
Affordable (under $30)How To Use
Which routine should it be used in?
Instructions:
Key Information
What Cetaphil Says
Product Description:
Cetaphil cleanser for oily skin is an effective cleanser for oily, combination, or acne prone skin.
About the Brand:
Ingredients Overview
Ingredients List
Aqua, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Pantolactone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Amyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid. FIL.1744.V00
Key Ingredients
Ingredients Details
Acrylates/c10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Common Name(s): Acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Delivers targeted skin-conditioning or bioactive benefits through a specific mechanism of action suited to the formulation's intended purpose.
Why It's Used: Specialty actives address specific skin concerns through targeted molecular mechanisms, providing efficacy beyond what base formulation ingredients alone can achieve.
How It Works: The bioactive compound interacts with specific molecular targets in skin cells or the extracellular matrix โ enzymes, receptors, structural proteins, or signaling molecules โ triggering beneficial biological responses.
Typically Found In: Serums,treatments,moisturizers,specialty products
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Specialty actives
Secondary Functions: Skin-conditioning,anti-aging
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 0.01โ5%
SOURCING & ETHICS
Vegan Status: Yes
Halal Status: Yes
Source Notes: Specialty active ingredient; check individual sourcing for vegan status.
SKIN COMPATIBILITY
Irritancy Rating: 1
Comedogenicity Rating: 0
Sensitivity Concerns: Low sensitization potential at recommended use concentrations.
Safe for Sensitive Skin: Yes
SAFETY & COMPATIBILITY
Safety Profile: Well-characterized cosmetic ingredient with established safety profile. generally non-irritating at typical use concentrations. suitable for leave-on and rinse-off cosmetics.
Works Well With: Niacinamide,hyaluronic acid,vitamin c,peptides
Avoid Combining With: Incompatible with oxidizing agents; check ph stability
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Specialty actives typically work through enzyme inhibition (e.g., tyrosinase inhibition for brightening, mmp inhibition for anti-aging), receptor activation (e.g., retinoid receptors, ppar-ฮณ for barrier genes), or transcription factor modulation (e.g., nrf2 for antioxidant gene upregulation). structure-activity relationships determine potency and selectivity.
Last Verified: Cosing eu database; pcpc cosmetic ingredient safety reviews; ingredient-specific safety and efficacy literature
Primary Sources: 2025-01-15
Amyl Cinnamal
Common Name(s): Alpha-amyl cinnamic aldehyde,jasmine aldehyde
CAS Number: 122-40-7
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Provides rich classic jasmine-type floral fragrance note.
Why It's Used: Classic jasmine fragrance aldehyde for premium perfumery providing the richer, deeper jasmine note used in high-quality fragrance compositions.
How It Works: C5-substituted cinnamic aldehyde provides broader, richer floral note vs hexyl cinnamal. good skin substantivity. widely used in combination with hexyl cinnamal for complex jasmine character.
Typically Found In: Premium fragrances,luxury cosmetics
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Fragrance component โ aldehyde
Secondary Functions: Skin conditioning
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 0.001%โ0.5%
SOURCING & ETHICS
Vegan Status: Yes โ synthetic
Halal Status: Yes
Source Notes: Commercially produced for cosmetic use. verify vegan/halal status with supplier.
SKIN COMPATIBILITY
Irritancy Rating: 1/5 โ very low
Comedogenicity Rating: 0/5 โ non-comedogenic
Sensitivity Concerns: Well-tolerated by most skin types.
Safe for Sensitive Skin: Yes
SAFETY & COMPATIBILITY
Safety Profile: Eu cosmetics regulation: declared fragrance allergen. ifra guidelines apply.
Works Well With: Standard skincare actives
Avoid Combining With: No known significant incompatibilities
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Amyl cinnamal and hexyl cinnamal differ only in the alpha-substituent chain length (c5 amyl vs c6 hexyl). this single carbon difference shifts the scent character from amyl cinnamal's broader, richer jasmine to hexyl cinnamal's crisper, airier jasmine โ demonstrating the extraordinary sensitivity of olfactory receptors to minor molecular changes in linear chain length.
Last Verified: Cosing database,ifra standards
Primary Sources: 2026-03-12
Citronellol
Common Name(s): (r)-3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-1-ol,rhodinol
CAS Number: 106-22-9
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Provides soft, lasting rose-floral fragrance note.
Why It's Used: Essential rose fragrance monoterpene for lasting smooth floral notes in high-quality perfumery and cosmetic fragrances.
How It Works: Allylic alcohol monoterpene provides fixative property in fragrance blends. good skin substantivity for lasting scent. softer, rounder rose note vs geraniol's fresher character. natural in rose otto at 18-34%.
Typically Found In: Rose perfumes,floral fragrances,luxury skincare
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Fragrance component โ monoterpene alcohol
Secondary Functions: Skin conditioning
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 0.001%โ1%
SOURCING & ETHICS
Vegan Status: Yes โ from rose, geranium, citronella oils
Halal Status: Yes
Source Notes: Commercially produced for cosmetic use. verify vegan/halal status with supplier.
SKIN COMPATIBILITY
Irritancy Rating: 1/5 โ very low
Comedogenicity Rating: 0/5 โ non-comedogenic
Sensitivity Concerns: Well-tolerated by most skin types.
Safe for Sensitive Skin: Yes
SAFETY & COMPATIBILITY
Safety Profile: Eu cosmetics regulation: declared fragrance allergen. ifra guidelines apply.
Works Well With: Standard skincare actives
Avoid Combining With: No known significant incompatibilities
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Citronellol's r-enantiomer (natural) vs s-enantiomer (synthetic) provide meaningfully different scent character โ a remarkable demonstration of chiral scent discrimination by olfactory receptors. the (r) form provides the characteristic rose note while the (s) form has a distinctly different, less pleasant character. this enantiomeric scent difference means that the biological handedness of naturally-sourced vs racemic synthetic citronellol produces perceptibly different fragrance quality.
Last Verified: Cosing database,ifra standards
Primary Sources: 2026-03-12
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Common Name(s): Capb,cocoamidopropyl betaine,coconut betaine
CAS Number: 61789-40-0
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Boosts foam, enhances mildness, and conditions skin and hair when combined with primary surfactants.
Why It's Used: The standard foam booster and mildness enhancer in virtually all shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers โ provides synergistic mildness improvement with anionic surfactants.
How It Works: Amphoteric (zwitterionic) character provides positive charge interaction with hair keratin for antistatic conditioning. reduces irritation of co-formulated anionic surfactants via ionic complex formation. foam stabilization via bilayer reinforcement in foam lamellae.
Typically Found In: Shampoos,body washes,facial cleansers,baby products
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Functional ingredient โ amphoteric surfactant
Secondary Functions: Skin conditioning
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 2%โ15%
SOURCING & ETHICS
Vegan Status: Yes โ from coconut fatty acids and dimethylaminopropylamine
Halal Status: Yes
Source Notes: Commercially produced for cosmetic use. verify vegan/halal status with supplier.
SKIN COMPATIBILITY
Irritancy Rating: 1/5 โ very low
Comedogenicity Rating: 0/5 โ non-comedogenic
Sensitivity Concerns: Well-tolerated by most skin types.
Safe for Sensitive Skin: Yes
SAFETY & COMPATIBILITY
Safety Profile: Good safety profile at recommended concentrations. ewg score: 1โ2.
Works Well With: Standard skincare actives
Avoid Combining With: No known significant incompatibilities
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Capb's mildness-enhancing synergy with sls has a molecular mechanism: capb's positive imidazoline head group forms an ion pair complex with sls's anionic sulfate group, reducing sls's free monomer concentration (the irritation-causing species) without significantly reducing micelle-forming capacity (the cleansing species).
Last Verified: Cosing database,ananthapadmanabhan surfactant review,cir safety assessment
Primary Sources: 2026-03-12