Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum versus La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on July 30, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe serums. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances and oils

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Serum American Brand United States
Serum French Brand France

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy Circular Hydrating Serum

Starts at $64.00
Shop

Buy Retinol B3 Serum

Starts at $44.99

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Exfoliators
Hyaluronic Acid (2)

Benefits

Hydrating (6)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Irritating (3)
Rosacea
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

Retinoid (2)
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (3)
Redness Reducing
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores (3)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting (3)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying (3)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (3)
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Water • Peg-8 • Glycerin • Methylpropanediol • Propanediol • Ppg-24-Glycereth-24 • 1,2-Hexanediol • Xylitylglucoside • Butylene Glycol • Hydroxyethyl Urea • Panthenol • Hydroxyacetophenone • Lactic Acid • Hyaluronic Acid • Sodium Hyaluronate • Dunaliella Salina Extract • Avena Sativa Kernel Extract • Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil • Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil • Citrus Limon Peel Oil • Santalum Album Oil • Laminaria Digitata Extract • Jasminum Sambac Flower Extract • Chondrus Crispus Extract • Gigartina Stellata Extract • Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract • Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil • Lithothamnion Calcareum Extract • Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil • Cupressus Sempervirens Oil • Cistus Ladaniferus Leaf/Stem Extract • Juniperus Virginiana Oil • Rosmarinus Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract • Tagetes Minuta Flower Oil • Rosa Damascena Flower • Hydrolyzed Rice Protein • Pentylene Glycol • Sodium PCA • Anhydroxylitol • Xylitol • Polyglutamic Acid • Lactobacillus Ferment • Lysine Hcl • Betaine • Sclerotium Gum • Sodium Lactate • PCA • Glucose • Serine • Alanine • Glycine • Silanetriol • Pantolactone • Glutamic Acid • Threonine • Arginine • Proline • Xanthan Gum • Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate • Polysorbate 20 • Sorbitan Isostearate • Citric Acid • Sodium Hydroxide • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Amylopectin • Hydroxyethylcellulose • Sodium Benzoate • Potassium Sorbate • Limonene • Linalool

Water • Glycerin • Cyclohexasiloxane • Alcohol Denat. • Pentylene Glycol • Niacinamide • Dimethicone • Glycine Soja Oil • Ppg-6-Decyltetradeceth-30 • Sodium Hyaluronate • Retinol • Adenosine • Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate • Caprylyl Glycol • Citric Acid • Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate • Xanthan Gum • Polysilicone-11 • Retinyl Palmitate • Tocopherol • Phenoxyethanol • Parfum

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Glycerin

Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum contains this as ingredient number 10.

4
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.

The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.

This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.

Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.

Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.

Learn more about Pentylene Glycol

Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum contains this as ingredient number 37.

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

5
What it does: Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum contains this as ingredient number 58.

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum contains this as ingredient number 17.

6
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.

As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid

Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum contains this as ingredient number 62.

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

43% are loved or liked
11% have mixed ratings
27% are disliked or very disliked
19% have no rating yet
45% are loved or liked
9% have mixed ratings
41% are disliked or very disliked
5% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum 70 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 review
Etai's Avatar'
Aug 6, 2023

The hydration change is instant

The hydration change is instant

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum 22 ingredients

2.5 /5
from 2 reviews
carolperroud's Avatar'
Dec 20, 2022

Breakout
I woke up with oily skin and bumps after using this product

Breakout
I woke up with oily skin and bumps after using this product

Lapaki's Avatar'
May 29, 2023

Very good and gentle retinol serum
My retinol journey began with this gentle serum with a concentration of 0.3% retinol: 0.1% pure retinol combined with 0.2% retinol palmitate that ensures gradual release of the active ingredients. It...

Very good and gentle retinol serum
My retinol journey began with this gentle serum with a concentration of 0.3% retinol: 0.1% pure retinol combined with 0.2% retinol palmitate that ensures gradual release of the active ingredients. It din't irritate my skin or cause any major break-outs, just some slight purging in the beginning, but that is concidered a normal reaktion that fades as soon as the skin gets used to it. I recommend it for retinol beginners and people with sensitive skin. [Edited]

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 34 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Dermalogica Circular Hydrating Serum.

See 34 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum.

See 50 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...