Dexeryl Cream Versus Reluce Skin Milk Lotion
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantParaffinum Liquidum
EmollientSodium Ascorbate
Antioxidant3-Glyceryl Ascorbate
AntioxidantGalactomyces Ferment Filtrate
HumectantHydrolyzed Sweet Almond Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Soy Protein
HumectantPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Starch
AbsorbentLactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningRetinol
Skin ConditioningSteareth-13
EmulsifyingSorbitan Sesquioleate
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingNiacinamide
SmoothingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingMethylparaben
PreservativeHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingButylene Glycol
HumectantTocopherol
AntioxidantPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingWater, Dipropylene Glycol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Sodium Ascorbate, 3-Glyceryl Ascorbate, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Sweet Almond Protein, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Oryza Sativa Starch, Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate, Retinol, Steareth-13, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Carbomer, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Potassium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumWater. 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