Head to head

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel vs Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original

Same comparison whichever way you searched it: Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original vs Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel.

The bottom line

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel and Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel does the same job for less.

Avène Cleanance Cleansing GelAvèneCleanance Cleansing GelCleanser · ~€14See every ingredient in Cleanance Cleansing Gel, decoded
Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm OriginalBanila CoClean It Zero Cleansing Balm OriginalCleanser · ~€17See every ingredient in Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original, decoded

Which should you pick?

Pick Cleanance Cleansing Gel if

  • you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
  • you want the more affordable option
  • you prefer a simpler, more minimal formula

Pick Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original if

  • plump, lasting hydration is what you want
  • you want more actives working at once

What each delivers

HydrationBarrierBrighteningOil-controlAnti-aging
Cleanance Cleansing GelClean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original
  • Hydration
    17
  • Barrier repair
    24
  • Brightening / tone
    30
  • Oil-control & blemishes
    61
  • Anti-aging
    22

Side by side

Cleanance Cleansing GelClean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original
TypeCleanserCleanser
Key activesZinc GluconateCetyl Ethylhexanoate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate
TextureA gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky.A low-lather, lotion-type cleanser that wipes or rinses off without stripping, and kind to dry or sensitive skin.
FragranceContains fragranceContains fragrance
Fungal-acne safeNot likelyNot likely
PregnancyNo flagged activesNo flagged actives
Ingredients20 listed21 listed
Price~€14~€17

What's in one but not the other

The two labels share 2 of the 39 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.

What each one adds acts on Not established for Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel and The stratum corneum for Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.

Only in Cleanance Cleansing Gel

Both share

No active in common.

Only in Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original

Where each label stops telling you the dose

Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel

  1. 1Avene Thermal Spring Water
  2. 2Aqua/Water
  3. 3Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
  4. 4Zinc Coceth Sulfate
  5. 5Polysorbate 20
  6. 6Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
  7. 7Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol
  8. 8PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
  9. 9Citric Acid
  10. 10Disodium EDTA
  11. 11Parfum (Fragrance)
  12. 12Glyceryl Laurate
  13. 13CI 61570
  14. 14Lauric Acid
  15. 15Sodium Benzoate
  16. 16Sodium Chloride
  17. 17Sodium Hydroxide
  18. 18Sodium Methyl Isethionate
  19. 19CI 19140
  20. 20Zinc Gluconate

11 of 20 sit below the line, marked by Disodium EDTA. Including what it is sold on: Zinc Gluconate.

Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original

  1. 1Ethylhexyl Palmitate
  2. 2Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
  3. 3PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate
  4. 4PEG-10 Isostearate
  5. 5Synthetic Wax
  6. 6Onsen-Sui
  7. 7Phenoxyethanol
  8. 8Butylene Glycol
  9. 9Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract
  10. 10Tocopheryl Acetate
  11. 11Parfum (Fragrance)
  12. 12Ethylhexylglycerin
  13. 13Water
  14. 141,2-Hexanediol
  15. 15Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf/Stem Extract
  16. 16Aspalathus Linearis Extract
  17. 17Angelica Archangelica Root Extract
  18. 18Malpighia Glabra (Acerola) Fruit Extract
  19. 19Polydiethyleneglycol Adipate/IPDI Copolymer
  20. 20Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
  21. 21Acrylates/Methoxy PEG-15 Methacrylate Copolymer

15 of 21 sit below the line, marked by Phenoxyethanol.

Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.

The molecule doing the work

Cleanance Cleansing GelZinc Gluconate
Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm OriginalCetyl Ethylhexanoate

Better for…

  • Breakouts & congestionCleanance Cleansing Gel
  • Dryness & dehydrationClean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is the cheaper of the two (~€14 vs ~€17).

Ready to pick one?

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Common questions

Is Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel or Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original better for breakouts & congestion?

For breakouts & congestion, Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel and Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel does the same job for less.

Which is cheaper, Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel or Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original?

Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel is the cheaper of the two (~€14 vs ~€17).

Can I use Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel and Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original together?

They are both cleansers, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.

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