Updated on June 28, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe essences. They have a total of 24 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain exfoliants
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, parabens, silicones or sulfates
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.
Ingredient Info
Aestura Ato Barrier 365 Hydro Essence 48 ingredients
Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence 49 ingredients
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Aestura Ato Barrier 365 Hydro Essence 48 ingredients
Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence 49 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Ingredients Side-by-side
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Squalene is naturally found in plants and animals, including our skin and sebum. It is a lipid our bodies naturally produce and makes up about 10-12% of the oil on our skin. Our skin produces squalene to keep itself naturally hydrated.
1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken and improve the texture of products.
Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.
Tromethamine is an aliphatic compound. An aliphatic compound is an organic compound with open-chained carbon atoms. It is synthetically created. Tromethamine is used to balance pH and improve texture.
Glyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid, a fatty acid from coconut.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
Natto Gum is created by fermenting a soy protein using Bacillus natto (a bacteria). It is used as a texture enhancer.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.
Mannitol is a sugar alcohol. It is a humectant and moisturizes the skin. In vitro (not tested on a living organism), mannitol displays antioxidant properties.
6 Benefits 3 Concerns
Lactic Acid is an AHA that is derived from fermenting lactose, a carbohydrate from milk. It removes the top layer of old and dead skin cells and helps increase cell turnover.
Glucose is a simple sugar and is the most important source of energy in all organisms.
Glycine is an amino acid that helps build proteins. It is already present in our skin as our bodies produce them naturally.
Urea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
Serine is an amino acid naturally found in our body. Our bodies use amino acids to create protein.
Glutamic Acid is an amino acid that is found in all living organisms. Our bodies use this to help nerve cells in the brain communicate with other cells.
Antioxidant 4 Benefits May cause irritation
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Aspartic Acid is an amino acid that our bodies produce naturally. It is an antioxidant.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.
Lysine is an essential amino acid. Your body is unable to produce it naturally and we mainly get lysine from food sources.
Arginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.
Phenylalanine is an amino acid. It is a skin soothing and hydrating ingredient. Amino acids play a crucial role in wound healing and skin hydration.
Proline is an amino-acid. It helps moisturize the skin and plays an important role in creating proteins.
Threonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.
4 Benefits 2 Concerns
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
Cholesterol is a class of organic molecules called lipids. It helps hydrate your skin and is essential to having a healthy skin barrier.
2 Concerns
Silica is a mineral naturally found in our skin. It helps to thicken and smooth the texture of a product. It also acts as an agent for other ingredients by increasing the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.
Acetyl Glucosamine is an antioxidant and humectant. It is a form of Vitamin C.
Cysteine is an amino acid found in our bodies. It becomes an antioxidant when converted into gluthatione.
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Squalene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Natto Gum, Stearic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Mannitol, PCA, Lactic Acid, Glucose, Glycine, Urea, Sodium Glycerophosphate, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Tocopherol, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Potassium Magnesium Aspartate, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Sodium Chloride, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Calcium Gluconate, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Citric Acid, Cholesterol, Histidine, Silica, Acetyl Glucosamine, Creatine, Uric Acid, Cysteine, Methionine
Bifida Ferment Lysate is derived from the fermentation of Bifida bacteria (often with dairy). It is a probiotic and helps to strengthen our skin's microbiome.
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate is created from fermenting Saccharomyces, a yeast also known as baker's yeast or brewer's yeast.
Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice is the sap of the Asian White Birch tree. Birch juice has antioxidant, hydrating, and soothing properties.
Rice Ferment Filtrate is created by fermenting rice, or oryza sativa. A common name for this ingredient is sake, the traditional Japanese fermented rice alcoholic beverage.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created stabilizer and solvent. It is a part of the glycol class in the alcohol family.
Methyl Gluceth-20 is a humectant. Humectants help draw moisture from the air to your skin.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.
5 Benefits
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract is derived from the leaves of the tea plant. Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from this plant.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
Trehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
Lactobacillus is a type of bacteria. It makes up most of the food fermenting lactic acid bacteria. It is used to create wine, yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, pickles, beer, cider, kimchi, cocoa, kefir.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil comes from hydrogenated castor oil. It is a solubilizer and emulsifier.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken and improve the texture of products.
Tromethamine is an aliphatic compound. An aliphatic compound is an organic compound with open-chained carbon atoms. It is synthetically created. Tromethamine is used to balance pH and improve texture.
1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.
Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Arginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.
This ingredient is a semi-synthetic polymer created from cellulose. In case you need a refresher, cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls.
Hydrogenated Lecithin is created from the hydrogenation of lecithin. Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecule hydrogen and another element.
Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.
Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.
6 Benefits
Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.
Dextrin is used to thicken a product and helps bind ingredients together. It is created from starch and glycogen.
Glycine is an amino acid that helps build proteins. It is already present in our skin as our bodies produce them naturally.
Serine is an amino acid naturally found in our body. Our bodies use amino acids to create protein.
Glutamic Acid is an amino acid that is found in all living organisms. Our bodies use this to help nerve cells in the brain communicate with other cells.
Aspartic Acid is an amino acid that our bodies produce naturally. It is an antioxidant.
Lysine is an essential amino acid. Your body is unable to produce it naturally and we mainly get lysine from food sources.
Phenylalanine is an amino acid. It is a skin soothing and hydrating ingredient. Amino acids play a crucial role in wound healing and skin hydration.
Proline is an amino-acid. It helps moisturize the skin and plays an important role in creating proteins.
Threonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
Cysteine is an amino acid found in our bodies. It becomes an antioxidant when converted into gluthatione.
Bifida Ferment Lysate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Rice Ferment Filtrate, Aspergillus Ferment, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Water, Betaine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trehalose, Lactobacillus, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Trideceth-10, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tropolone, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Coptis Japonica Extract, Arginine, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Niacinamide, Dextrin, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Alanine, Lysine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Phenoxyethanol, Histidine, Methionine, Cysteine
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
- It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
- It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
- It helps improve product application.
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about Glycerin1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.
In products that are water-based, this ingredient can help stabilize perfumes and fragrances. It can also help make the texture of products softer and more smooth.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken and improve the texture of products.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is also an emulsifier. Due to its properties, it can prevent water and oil ingredients from separating.
Tromethamine is an aliphatic compound. An aliphatic compound is an organic compound with open-chained carbon atoms. It is synthetically created. Tromethamine is used to balance pH and improve texture.
As an emulsifier, Tromethamine prevents oil and water ingredients from separating. This helps stabilize the product and elongate a product's shelf life. Tromethamine also makes a product thicker.
Tromethamine helps balance the pH level of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Oral Tromethanmine is an anti-inflammatory drug but plays the role of masking, adding fragrance, and/or balancing pH in skincare.
1,3-Propanediol, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-
Learn more about TromethamineEthylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.
Glycine is an amino acid that helps build proteins. It is already present in our skin as our bodies produce them naturally.
Glycine helps keep skin hydrated and reduce signs of aging. Amino acids help transport moisture throughout our skin; glycine already plays a role in helping keep our skin moisturized.
As collagen is made up of glycine and other amino acids, it is believed Glycine may help our skin produce more collagen. Collagen helps keep skin plump and firm.
Learn more about GlycineSerine is an amino acid naturally found in our body. Our bodies use amino acids to create protein.
Amino-acids help give keep our skin hydrated. They play an important role in the skin barrier, which keeps the skin plump and firm.
Serine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning we don't need to obtain it from eating foods.
Learn more about SerineGlutamic Acid is an amino acid that is found in all living organisms. Our bodies use this to help nerve cells in the brain communicate with other cells.
In cosmetics, glutamic acid is a famous humectant. It draws water from the air to your skin, keeping your skin hydrated (like hyaluronic acid).
An in-vitro study from 2024 found glutamic acid to play a role in inhibiting inflammation and thus a potential skin-soothing ingredient.
Other studies show it to be have potential wound healing, skin barrier repair, and hair growth properties.
Glutamic acid has poor solubility in water and other solvents.
Learn more about Glutamic AcidAspartic Acid is an amino acid that our bodies produce naturally. It is an antioxidant.
Our body uses Aspartic Acid to help build collagen and elastin. It also plays a role in hydrating skin.
Antioxidants help mitigate damage from free-radical molecules. These are molecules that originate from external sources such as pollution, cigarette smoke, or the sun.
Learn more about Aspartic AcidWe don't have a description for Leucine.
Alanine is an amino acid and is already found in the human body.
Alanine has antioxidant properties and can help with anti-aging.
Alanine is used by fibrous proteins such as collagen, elastin, and keratin. These three help make a strong skin barrier. Having a healthy skin barrier leads to more plump and youthful skin.
Learn more about AlanineLysine is an essential amino acid. Your body is unable to produce it naturally and we mainly get lysine from food sources.
Our bodies use lysine for growth and tissue repair. The skin uses amino acids as a precursor for building protein, and therefore keratins, collagen and elastin.
Arginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.
As a cosmetic ingredient, Arginine has antioxidant properties and can also help repair damaged skin. This ingredient is derived either synthetically or from animals.
Arginine isn't fungal acne safe when used in the presence of other lipids (fats, fatty acids, oils, esters, etc). Oils and fats occur naturally within the skin, so take caution when using Arginine if you're prone to fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineWe don't have a description for Tyrosine.
Phenylalanine is an amino acid. It is a skin soothing and hydrating ingredient. Amino acids play a crucial role in wound healing and skin hydration.
Phenylalanine is also used to help even out skin tone due to its ability to disrupt the melanin production process.
Two structures of phenylalanine exist: L-phenylalanine and D-phenylalanine. L-phenylalanine is essential, this means our bodies cannot produce it naturally and we must get it from foods. Our bodies convert D-phenylalanine to neurotransmitters, and D-phenylalanine is found in our bodies naturally.
Some foods that contain L-phenylalanine include eggs, soybeans, beef, milk.
Learn more about PhenylalanineProline is an amino-acid. It helps moisturize the skin and plays an important role in creating proteins.
Proline is one of the building blocks for producing collagen. As we age, our bodies produce less collagen. Collagen helps the skin look plump and firm.
In medicine, proline is used as an osmoprotectant. This means it helps prevent oxidative degradation in other drugs.
Our bodies are able to produce proline naturally, but certain conditions may inhibit this production. In that case, proline can be obtained from eating egg whites, soy protein, dairy products, asparagus, mushrooms, and seaweed.
Learn more about ProlineThreonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.
Threonine is vital for creating collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin support youthful and firm skin. Our bodies decrease collagen production naturally with age.
Humans are not able to create threonine and must get it through eating foods such as fish, lentils, poultry, sesame seeds, and more.
Learn more about ThreonineWe don't have a description for Valine.
We don't have a description for Isoleucine.
We don't have a description for Histidine.
Cysteine is an amino acid found in our bodies. It becomes an antioxidant when converted into gluthatione.
Once it becomes gluthatione, it prevents oxidative damage to parts of our cell. Gluthatione has also been shown to protect our skin from UV-B induced damage.
We don't have a description for Methionine.
Ingredient Ratings
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Aestura Ato Barrier 365 Hydro Essence 48 ingredients
Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence 49 ingredients
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