
Highlights
WHAT IS IT?
Daily facial cleanser with 11 ingredients
FEATURES
pH balanced, non-foaming, gentle cleansing, removes dirt, oil, bacteria and makeup
BEST FOR
sensitive, acne-prone
CHECKS
Free of fragrances, soaps, dyes, parabens, essential oils
Who Is It For?
All Ages With Acne-prone And Sensitive SkinWhat Does It Help With?
Acne-prone Skin Gentle Cleansing Maintaining Skin BarrierBudget
Affordable (under $30)How To Use
Which routine should it be used in?
Instructions:
Key Information
What Neutrogena Says
Product Description:
This facial cleanser formula is developed with nourishing pro-vitamin B5. This daily face wash formula is gentle on acne-prone & sensitive skin and is paraben free, dye free, essential oil free and fragrance free as well as hypoallergenic & noncomedogenic.
About the Brand:
Ingredients Overview
Ingredients List
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin
Key Ingredients
Pro-vitamin B5 (Panthenol), Glycerin
Ingredients Details
Caprylyl Glycol
Common Name(s): 1,2-octanediol,octanediol,sensiva sc 50
CAS Number: 1117-86-8
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Provides the most potent antimicrobial diol activity alongside skin feel enhancement.
Why It's Used: Premium antimicrobial diol โ caprylyl glycol's c8 chain provides the strongest membrane-disrupting antimicrobial activity of common diol preservative boosters with unique skin-feel enhancement.
How It Works: C8 1,2-diol: c8 chain length provides strongest bacterial and fungal membrane disruption of common diols. emollient skin feel improvement from c8 chain length interaction with skin surface. active at lower concentrations than shorter-chain diols. synergistic with ethylhexylglycerin.
Typically Found In: Natural preservation systems,skin feel enhancement
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Functional ingredient โ antimicrobial humectant
Secondary Functions: Skin conditioning
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 0.1%โ1%
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: Good safety profile at recommended concentrations. ewg score: 1โ2.
Works Well With: Standard skincare actives
Avoid Combining With: No known significant incompatibilities
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Caprylyl glycol's antimicrobial potency follows the chain-length dependent membrane activity of fatty acids: c8 is the optimal chain length for membrane disruption (same as caprylic acid's antimicrobial optimum), providing maximum membrane integration without the skin sensitisation associated with longer chain lengths. this chain-length pharmacophore relationship is why c8 > c6 > c5 in diol antimicrobial potency despite identical head group chemistry.
Last Verified: Cosing database,schรผlke sensiva sc 50 technical data,cir safety assessment
Primary Sources: 2026-03-12
Carbomer
Common Name(s): Carbopol,polyacrylic acid,carboxyvinyl polymer
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Provides transparent gel textures and thickening at very low concentrations via ph-responsive swelling.
Why It's Used: The most widely used gel thickener โ provides crystal-clear, stable gels at concentrations as low as 0.1-0.5% with ph-controlled viscosity.
How It Works: Highly crosslinked polyacrylic acid remains tightly coiled at acidic ph. neutralization with naoh or triethanolamine ionizes carboxylic groups causing electrostatic repulsion that unfolds and swells the polymer coils, dramatically increasing viscosity. concentration-dependent thickening.
Typically Found In: Gels,serums,emulsions,sunscreens
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Functional ingredient โ polyacrylic acid thickener
Secondary Functions: Skin conditioning
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 0.1%โ2%
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: Good safety profile at recommended concentrations. ewg score: 1โ2.
Works Well With: Standard skincare actives
Avoid Combining With: No known significant incompatibilities
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Carbomer's ph-responsive swelling mechanism provides an elegant formulation control tool: a neutralized gel can be liquefied by ph reduction (adding acid) and re-thickened by reneutralization. this reversible rheology control allows two-phase products that mix on application without the need for mechanical emulsification.
Last Verified: Cosing database,cir safety assessment
Primary Sources: 2026-03-12
Cetearyl Alcohol
Common Name(s): Cetostearyl alcohol,c16-18 fatty alcohol
CAS Number: 8005-44-5
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Provides fatty alcohol emulsification and thickening for stable, well-textured emulsions.
Why It's Used: The most widely used fatty alcohol in cosmetics โ provides emulsification, thickening, and emolliency simultaneously from a single ingredient with excellent safety profile.
How It Works: Forms bilayer lamellar structures in water with emulsifiers creating a viscous structured network that thickens and stabilizes emulsions. fatty alcohol emolliency provides direct skin conditioning. bilayer formation reduces inter-droplet coalescence in emulsions.
Typically Found In: Creams,lotions,conditioners โ virtually all emulsion products
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Functional ingredient โ fatty alcohol emulsifier/thickener
Secondary Functions: Barrier sealing,softening
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 1%โ25%
SOURCING & ETHICS
Vegan Status: Yes โ from vegetable or coconut/palm fatty acids
Halal Status: Yes
Source Notes: Plant-derived, synthetic or animal-derived. verify source.
SKIN COMPATIBILITY
Irritancy Rating: 1/5 โ very low
Comedogenicity Rating: 1/5 โ low; formulation-dependent
Sensitivity Concerns: Non-irritating.
Safe for Sensitive Skin: Yes
SAFETY & COMPATIBILITY
Safety Profile: Excellent safety profile. ewg score: 1.
Works Well With: Humectants,ceramides,actives as carrier
Avoid Combining With: No significant incompatibilities
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Cetearyl alcohol's ability to form lamellar liquid crystal structures ('krafft phases') with water and co-emulsifiers provides not only emulsion stability but also enhanced skin penetration via the lamellar skin barrier pathway. these crystalline structures can act as a reservoir for active ingredients, slowly releasing them as the lamellar structure melts on skin contact.
Last Verified: Cosing database,cir safety assessment
Primary Sources: 2026-03-12
Cetearyl Glucoside
Common Name(s): Nonionic emulsifier,o/w surfactant,emulsion stabiliser
CAS Number: N/a
DESCRIPTION
What It Does: Stabilises o/w emulsions by forming a molecular monolayer at the oil-water interface, provides co-emulsification synergy with other emulsifiers, and contributes to emulsion texture through interfacial film properties.
Why It's Used: Nonionic emulsifiers are preferred for sensitive skin and ph-extreme formulations โ no ionic charge means no electrostatic interaction with skin proteins, no ph-dependent function loss, and compatibility with both anionic and cationic co-ingredients.
How It Works: Hlb determines emulsion type: hlb 8โ12 for o/w emulsification; hlb 3โ6 for w/o. the peg or glycoside head group provides hydrophilicity while the c16โc18 fatty chain provides lipophilicity. at the o/w interface, nonionic emulsifiers form a mixed monolayer reducing interfacial tension from ~35 mn/m (clean oil-water) to 5โ10 mn/m, providing thermodynamic stabilisation.
Typically Found In: Creams,lotions,o/w emulsions
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Primary Category: Active ingredient โ cosmetic active
Secondary Functions: Skin conditioning
Application Areas:
Facial Skincare
Body Care
Hair Care
Beard Care
Color Cosmetics (Makeup)
Dietary/Oral Supplements
Typical Concentration Range: 1%โ10%
SOURCING & ETHICS
Vegan Status: Conditional
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
Mixed emulsifier systems (e.g., glyceryl stearate + peg-100 stearate, or cetearyl glucoside + cetearyl alcohol) provide better emulsion stability than single emulsifiers โ synergistic packing of different molecular geometries creates a more cohesive, mechanically robust interfacial film.
Last Verified: Cosing database,nonionic emulsifier hlb system review
Primary Sources: 2026-03-12