Versus

Dr.G Hydra Aqua Essence Fit Mask Versus ma:nyo Galac Niacin Essence Mask

Sheet Mask
Sheet Mask
Korean Brand South Korea
Korean Brand South Korea

Updated on November 11, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe sheet masks. They have a total of 28 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, sensitive skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, 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

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Hydra Aqua Essence Fit Mask
Galac Niacin Essence Mask

Water

Skin Conditioning

Methylpropanediol

Solvent

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Niacinamide 2%

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconGood for Oily Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Chrysanthemum Zawadskii Extract

Skin Conditioning

Anastatica Hierochuntica Extract

Astringent

Althaea Rosea Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Astringent
Can worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Hyaluronic Acid

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid Icon

Cyperus Rotundus Root Extract

Skin Conditioning

Leonurus Sibiricus Extract

Skin Conditioning

Paeonia Albiflora Flower Extract

Tonic

Hydroxyethyl Urea

Humectant

Allantoin

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Tromethamine

Buffering

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Centella Asiatica Extract

Cleansing
Helps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Lactobacillus Ferment

Skin Conditioning

Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Leaf/Stem Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract

Astringent

Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract

Tonic

Pueraria Thunbergiana Root Extract

Skin Conditioning

Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract

Skin Conditioning

Artemisia Capillaris Extract

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Panthenol

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Sodium Phytate

Glutathione

Good for Dark Spots Icon

Glycine

Buffering
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Serine

Masking

Glutamic Acid

Humectant

Aspartic Acid

Masking

Leucine

Skin Conditioning

Alanine

Masking

Lysine

Skin Conditioning

Arginine

Masking
Good for Scar Healing IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Tyrosine

Masking

Phenylalanine

Masking

Proline

Skin Conditioning

Threonine

Valine

Masking

Isoleucine

Skin Conditioning

Histidine

Humectant

Cysteine

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Methionine

Skin Conditioning

Carbomer

Emulsion Stabilising
1 / 0

Caffeine

Skin Conditioning

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Adenosine

Skin Conditioning
Good for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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 Water

Methylpropanediol is a synthetic solvent and humectant.

As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients, helping to evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product. This ingredient has also been shown to have antimicrobial properties which makes it a preservative booster.

Methylpropanediol is able to add a bit of moisture to the skin. It also helps other ingredients be better absorbed into the skin, such as salicylic acid.

Learn more about Methylpropanediol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse. 

It is a:

  • Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  • Emollient, helping to soften skin
  • Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  • Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives 
Skin Conditioning

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

Learn more about Panthenol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

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
Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create a gel consistency.

A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.

Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

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
Buffering, Masking

Tromethamine helps balance the pH and improve the texture of a product. It is synthetically created.

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 Tromethamine
Buffering, Skin Conditioning

This ingredient is an amino acid that helps build proteins and moisturizes skin. It is already present in our skin as our bodies produce them naturally.

Glycine already plays a role in helping keep our skin moisturized as amino acids transport moisture throughout our skin.

As collagen is made up of glycine and other amino acids, it is believed glycine may help our skin produce more collagen.

Learn more about Glycine
Masking, Skin Conditioning

Serine 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 Serine
Humectant

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.

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 Acid
Masking, Skin Conditioning

Aspartic 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.

Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Leucine yet.

Masking, Skin Conditioning

Alanine is an amino acid and is already found in the human body. Our skin uses alanine to build collagen, elastin, and keratin.

Skin Conditioning

Lysine 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.

Masking, Skin Conditioning

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 Arginine
Masking, Skin Conditioning

Tyrosine is one of the amino acids used to create protein. It plays a role in melanin production.

A study from 2012 found tyrosine to show promising results in restoring skin volume.

Masking, Skin Conditioning

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.

This ingredient 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 Phenylalanine
Masking, Skin Conditioning

Valine is an essential amino acid. It is used by our bodies for tissue repair and muscle growth.

An essential amino acid is one in which our bodies cannot naturally produce so we must get them through diet. Foods such as eggs, dairy, red meat, and fish contain valine.

This ingredient can either be derived from an animal product or be synthetically created.

Learn more about Valine

Threonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.

Our skin uses threonine for creating collagen and elastin. Humans are not able to create threonine and must get it through eating foods such as fish, lentils, poultry, sesame seeds, and more.

Skin Conditioning

Proline is an amino-acid. It helps moisturize the skin and plays an important role in creating proteins.

Our skin uses proline as one of the building blocks for producing collagen.

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 Proline
Skin Conditioning

Isoleucine is an amino acid that helps reinforce our skin barrier. This amino acid plays a role in creating protein for the body.

Fun fact: Isoleucine is found in meat, fish, dairy, legumes, and nuts.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Histidine is a semi-essential amino acid used by our bodies to create protein. It has humectant and skin conditioning properties.

Our bodies use histidine to create filaggrin - filaggrin is a structural protein that the skin uses in maintaining skin barrier.

One study found histidine and carnosine to be a dynamic duo for your skin:

Oral histidine has also been found to help with filaggrin-deficit skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis.

Why is it considered a semi-essential amino acid? This is because adults are able to create it but children must get it from their diet.

Learn more about Histidine
Humectant, Moisturising, Skin Conditioning

Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in healthy skin. It is a humectant, meaning it draws moisture to your skin.

This ingredient helps hydrate, soothe, and protect the skin.

What makes hyaluronic acid so hydrating? It has the capacity to bind or hold large amounts of water.

Fun fact: It is already naturally found in our bodies, such as the fluids of our eyes and our joints.

Studies find this ingredient to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. This can help speed up wound-healing.

Hyaluronic acid can be irritating if the molecule has a low-molecular weight, or if the molecules are small.

One study found low-molecular weight hyaluronic acid to be pro-inflammatory, meaning some people may experience irritation. This is because our bodies use hyaluronic acid in the wound-healing process to signal to our bodies, via irritation, that something needs healing.

The same study found high-molecular weight hyaluronic acid to be anti-inflammatory.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is a form of hyaluronic acid. It is created by the hydrolysis of hyaluronic acid with a high molecular weight. Once created, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid has a low molecular weight.

Low molecular weight HA has been shown to hydrate and increase elasticity of the skin. Increasing elasticity is also associated with reduction of wrinkle depth.

One study found topical low molecular weight hyaluronic acid may be considered for the treatment of rosacea in the adult population. However, we always recommend speaking with a professional about your skin concerns.

Hyaluronic acids are a humectant. This means they draw moisture from the air. Hyaluronic acids help moisturize, soothe, and protect the skin.

Read more about other common forms of hyaluronic acid:

Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Antioxidant, Masking

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.

Skin Conditioning

Methionine is an essential amino acid. It is a conditioning agent and commonly found in both skin and hair products.

This amino acid is a precursor to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant.

Fun fact: Methionine can be found in meat, fish, and dairy. It cannot be naturally produce and requires dietary intake.

Learn more about Methionine

When to use

1 Routine
0% use in am
100% use in pm
100% use every as_needed

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Dr.G Hydra Aqua Essence Fit Mask 41 ingredients

Hydra Aqua Essence Fit Mask hasn't been rated yet.
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ma:nyo Galac Niacin Essence Mask 56 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating