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Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser ingredients: is it worth it?
A competent but old-school cleanser—not a barrier-care formula, and the sulfate-led base keeps it firmly average.
A competent but old-school cleanser—not a barrier-care formula, and the sulfate-led base keeps it firmly average.
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The efficacy score is 3.6/5 because it should cleanse effectively, with cocamidopropyl betaine and amphoteric surfactants moderating the primary sodium trideceth sulfate, but there is no meaningful leave-on treatment benefit in a rinse-off product and no verified pH supplied. Glycerin offers limited rinse-off hydration support, while the high oleic-acid content and cleansing surfactant system may feel less comfortable on very dry or sensitive skin. The safety score is 3.6/5: fragrance is absent, but the sulfate surfactant, synthetic colorants, and potential sensitivity from cocamidopropyl betaine justify deductions.
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DemythSkin rates Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser 3.6/5 for efficacy and 4.4/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (8)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
water, glycerin, oleic acid, coconut acid, sodium hydroxide, triethanolamine, sodium trideceth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium chloride, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, sodium cocoamphoacetate, caprylyl glycol, phenoxyethanol, bht, trisodium hedta, hexylene glycol, citric acid, yellow 5, red 33, blue 1 Watch Skin University on TikTok and YouTube to dive deeper into our ingredients. Disclaimer While Neutrogena ® strives to keep ingredient lists on this website as accurate as possible, we cannot guarantee that these lists are complete, reliable, up-to-date, and error-free. Please refer to the ingredients list on the product packaging for the most accurate list of ingredients. QUESTIONS
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (20)⌄
- Water
- Formula solvent
- Glycerin
- Humectant moisturizer
- Oleic Acid
- Fatty acid cleanser
- Coconut Acid
- Cleansing fatty acid
- Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
- Triethanolamine
- pH adjuster
- Sodium Trideceth Sulfate
- Primary cleansing surfactant
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- Secondary cleansing surfactant
- Sodium Chloride
- Viscosity modifier
- Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
- Mild cleansing surfactant
- Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
- Mild cleansing surfactant
- Caprylyl Glycol
- Humectant and preservative booster
- Phenoxyethanol
- Preservative
- BHT
- Antioxidant stabilizer
- Trisodium HEDTA
- Chelating agent
- Hexylene Glycol
- Solvent and humectant
- Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- Yellow 5
- Colorant
- Red 33
- Colorant
- Blue 1
- Colorant
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Glycerin: Humectant with well-established water-binding function
Cocamidopropyl Betaine: Mild amphoteric cleansing surfactant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate: Mild amphoteric cleansing surfactant
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper cleanser that scores as high or higher
A different formula for the same concern (cleansing) that scores at least as high on both efficacy and safety.
Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser: common questions
Is Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser worth it?
Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser scores 3.6 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Modest) and 4.4 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. A competent but old-school cleanser—not a barrier-care formula, and the sulfate-led base keeps it firmly average.
What are the key active ingredients in Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser?
Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin's analysis found no flagged irritants in Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser. It scores 4.4 out of 5.0 for safety.
How is Neutrogena Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleanser scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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