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Honest Beauty Magic… vs Murad Essential-C Cl… — Which Is Better? | Gracie

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Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser vs Murad Essential-C Cleanser

Murad Essential-C Cleanser scores 8.0/9.8 vs Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser at 6.7/9.8. Murad Essential-C Cleanser wins for hydration.

Head to head

Honest Beauty

Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser

cleanser

6.7

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Honest skincare intel. No jargon, no gatekeeping — just the ingredients decoded.

Murad

Essential-C Cleanser

cleanserpremium

8.0

Score comparison

Murad Essential-C Cleanser takes this one, winning 3 of 5 attributes.

Honest Beauty wins 0

Tied 2

Murad wins 3

9.0

Honest Beauty

Murad

Ingredient face-off

9% overlap

12Honest Beauty

3Shared

32Murad

Only in Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser

9 unique

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Sucrose Laurate Rosa Damascena Flower Water Sucrose Stearate Sucrose Palmitate Kaolin Potassium Sorbate Sodium Benzoate Citric Acid

Shared ingredients

3 in common

Glycerin Water (Aqua)Caprylyl Glycol

Only in Murad Essential-C Cleanser

29 unique

Cocamidopropyl Betaine Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate Butylene Glycol Aminomethyl Propanol Polysorbate 20 Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer Panthenol Phospholipids Tocopheryl Acetate Retinyl Palmitate+19 more

Why Murad Essential-C Cleanser comes out ahead

Where Murad Essential-C Cleanser really shines is hydration efficacy, scoring 8.4 compared to Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser's 5.6. With Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, and Panthenol in its top ingredients, Murad Essential-C Cleanser delivers stronger moisture-binding capability.

Active Ingredient Strength is another area of separation. Murad Essential-C Cleanser scores 4.4 here versus 2.0 for Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser. That difference comes down to how each formula is built — the ingredient list tells the story.

Murad Essential-C Cleanser brings Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, and Ascorbyl Palmitate as actives, giving it an edge in targeted skincare benefits.

Best for your skin type

Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Anyone who prefers clean, well-vetted formulations

Murad Essential-C Cleanser is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Dry or dehydrated skin that craves moisture, thanks to Glycerin
Anyone who prefers clean, well-vetted formulations

Value comparison

Murad Essential-C Cleanser comes in at premium pricing with a 8.0 score, which is solid value at that tier.

Our verdict

✶ Our verdict

+1.3 lead

Murad Essential-C Cleanser wins this comparison with a meaningfully stronger ingredient profile and overall score.

6.7Honest Beauty

8.0Murad

Frequently asked questions

Which is better: Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser or Murad Essential-C Cleanser?

Based on ingredient analysis, Murad Essential-C Cleanser scores higher overall. See the full score breakdown above for details on each attribute.

Do Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser and Murad Essential-C Cleanser share ingredients?

Yes, they share common ingredients. Check the ingredient face-off section above for a detailed comparison.

What's the main difference between Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser and Murad Essential-C Cleanser?

The key differences are in their active ingredients and formulation approach. Check the attribute battle above for a detailed breakdown.

Full analysis: Honest Beauty Magic Gel-to-Milk Cleanser→Full analysis: Murad Essential-C Cleanser→

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