Have you ever wondered about the difference between professional skincare products and consumer, over the counter products? While you may have noticed that skincare products sold at salons and spas are generally more expensive than what you find at your local drugstore or even Sephora and/or Nordstrom, I’m here to tell you there’s a good reason for that. What’s the reason, you ask? Simply this: Professional skincare products actually penetrate your skin’s barrier and treat it as advertised, while the latter, while at times much less expensive, lack active ingredients at the necessary required concentration to actually make a difference on your skin. Simply and plainly put: You do actually get what you paid for in this case.
I realize you may be skeptical of the fact that I basically put down all your drugstore favorites as being a big waste of money. In that spirit, let me give you a comparison between two facial cleansers and I’ll let the facts speak for themselves. This, my friend, is the battle between Image’s Vital C Cleanser vs. Cetaphil Facial Cleanser, both cleansers advertised as gentle, moisturizing cleansers (we gotta make this a fair fight!)
Before we get down to the nitty gritty ingredient list of both these products however, let me just preface this by clarifying one very important thing: Most consumer, over the counter products have preservatives to ensure long shelf life and are produced in large batches, meaning that they lack active ingredients (see above). Less active ingredients means more fillers to reduce the risk that buyers will be irritated by the product, since most buyers walking down the grocery or drugstore isle self-diagnose their problems. More fillers and less active ingredients therefore means that whatever results the product is claiming to achieve will be lessened. Not to mention that since goods categorized as cosmetics are not regulated by the FDA, claims made by manufacturers like “Clinically Proven” or “Studies Show” have no actual legal meaning. The solution appears to be a simple one at this point, right? Avoid the consumer, over-the-counter goods and buy professional skincare products, since the latter often falls into the “drug” category and are therefore regulated by the FDA. But turns out that there is some crossover between what is defined as a drug and as a cosmetic, making a consumer’s buying decision that much more complicated.
So how can you know the product you are buying will actually do what it claims to do? It’s actually quiet easy, and I’ll do it for you with these two products today. All you have to do is look at the product’s list of ingredients. If the “active” ingredient (the ingredient in the product that will help you achieve what you’re looking to achieve, like moisture) is more than 5 ingredients down the panel, generally the percentage of this ingredient is not enough to support the claims made by the manufacturer. With this in mind, let’s look at the first 5 ingredients in both the Vital C cleanser and Cetaphil’s cleanser:
Cetaphil, $8.00
CETAPHIL CLEANSER INGREDIENTS
1. Water
2. Cetyl Alcohol
3. Propylene Alcohol
4. Sodium Laurel Sulfate
5. Stearyl Alcohol
Let’s begin with Cetaphil.
– Ingredient #1, Water. That’s fine, we all love water- it’s hydrating, gentle, no problem there. But let’s continue down the list..
– Ingredients 2 through 5 are all chemically manufactured, not to mention that ingredients 3 through 5 are on the black list of cosmestic ingredients to avoid as potentially toxic. Cetyl Alcohol is an emollient that is essentially a wax (yuck!) and Propylene Glycol, though a common hummectant that brings moisture from the air to the skin, also enhances product and chemical penetration into the skin and bloodstream. Facewash with a side of cancer, anyone?
– Ingredient #4, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a foaming agent, is also a skin and eye irritant that actually disturbs the healthy lipid barrier of the skin. And parabens, as it has come to the attention of many by now, are preservatives (remember the shelf-life concerns in consumer products mentioned above?) that are currently being phased out for potential health risks.
The verdict? Out of the first 5 ingredients in Cetaphil’s panel, there is no actual moisturizing, good-for-you ingredient that will leave your skin moisturized and there is definitely NOTHING clean about this cleanser. Sure, it may not irritate skin very much (for some, I have heard some horror stories for others) but it definitely won’t help make it better either. Why? Because as you can see, nothing in Cetaphil actually nurtures the skin- there are no antioxidants, no omega-rich plant seed oils, no skin-calming botanicals…
Now let’s compare Cetaphil with Image’s Vital C Cleanser
Vital C Cleanser, $26.50
VITAL C CLEANSER INGREDIENTS
1. Water
2. Cetearyl Olivate
3. Isohexadecane
4. Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate
5. Sodium Peg-7 Olive Oil Carboxylat
–Ingredient #1 is the same as Cetaphil’s- Water. We already decided we like water.
– Ingredient #2, Cetearyl Olivate, is a unique, natural PEG-free emulsifier derived from Olive Oil. It reduces skin’s water loss, has a high moisturizing effect, and it is hypoallergenic. Since it is made from natural raw materials, it is free of soap and ethoxylated ingredients, therefore facilitating the retention of skin moisture and increasing the active ingredient’s resistance to water and/or sweat.
Ingredient #3, Isohexadecane, may sound a little bit crazy, but all it is in a high purity, safe to use, iso-parafin emollient that creates the creamy and thick formula of this cleanser without leaving skin greasy.
Ingredient #4, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate, is a blend of caprylic and capric acids that function as conditioning and thickening agents with excellent absorption properties that leaves skin silky smooth.
Ingredient #5, Sodium Peg-5, is a cleansing agent and emollient derived from Olive Oil with foaming properties. Since it comes from Olive Oil, it is safe to use, moisturizing, and can be used universally in mild cleansing formulations.
The verdict? Out of the first 5 ingredients in Vital C’s cleansers, a whopping FOUR are moisturizing agents, two of them coming from natural Olive Oil to nurture your skin and make it feel moisturized and clean. The other fifth ingredient is there for texture, for the “feel” of the product, if you will- simply to give you that great, foamy wash when you cleanse your skin. But notice that while Cetaphil uses Sodium Laurel Sulfate for this purpose, Vital C Cleanser uses a safe to use, nontoxic ingredient to give you that perfect wash without putting your health, and that of your skin, at risk. It is plain to see by looking at Vital C Cleanser’s first five ingredients alone, that this face wash does exactly what is claims to do: clean your skin without irritating it and simultaneously moisturizing it, by using moisturizing ingredients and other agents that actually help your skin retain moisture! Meaning that the results you’ll get with this cleanser is clean, moisturized skin, that is not irritated by toxic chemicals. Unlike Cetaphil then, this cleanser will actually help make your skin better!
So there you have it. If you’re looking for a non-irritating, moisturizing face wash, buy Vital C’s cleanser, NOT Cetaphil. The ingredients speak for themselves.