By WishTrend Vitamin A-mazing Bakuchiol Night Cream Versus FaceTheory Bakuchiol Firming Daily Moisturiser
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Betaine
Humectant
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Trehalose
Humectant
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Pentaerythrityl Distearate
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Glucose
Humectant
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Retinal
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Collagen
Moisturising
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Skin Conditioning
Dextran
Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Betaine, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Glyceryl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Bakuchiol, Trehalose, Behenyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Glucose, Fructooligosaccharides, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinal, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Beta-Glucan, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol, Collagen, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Dextran
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCitrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Gellan Gum
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Propanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Bakuchiol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Distarch Phosphate, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Gellan Gum, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ferulic Acid, Limonene, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived antioxidant from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant. It has antimicrobial, emollient, skin conditioning, and antioxidant properties.
You'll likely see it called a "retinol replacement" but the two are technically not related. This is because bakuchiol is able to flip many of the same switches in your skin cells to tell them to:
1) produce more collagen (type I, III, and IV)
2) activate the same genes retinoids do
Unlike retinoids, this ingredient will not increase photosensitivity and is safe to use during pregnancy (but please still check in with your doctor!).
The flagship clinical trial from Dhaliwal et al. 2019 found 0.5% bakuchiol (twice daily) and 0.5% retinol (once daily) reduced wrinkles and hyperpigmentation equally, but bakuchiol had significantly less irritation.
Systematic reviews also back this up:
Bakuchiol is comparable to retinol for photoaging but with better tolerability. It also has mild antibacterial properties against Cutibacterium acnes and antifungal activity in vitro against Candida and dermatophytes.
The reason bakuchiol works well is due to its structure; it is a meroterpene phenol, or a hybrid molecule. The phenol half acts as an antioxidant while the terpene half is fat-loving. This helps the molecule slip through the skin barrier.
This ingredient is usually used between 0.5-2%. Only one case of contact dermatitis has ever been reported for this ingredient.
Learn more about BakuchiolCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
