Versus

Geek & Gorgeous Hydration Station Versus Geek & Gorgeous Happier Barrier

General Moisturizer
General Moisturizer
Hungarian Brand Hungary
Hungarian Brand Hungary

Updated on October 07, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe general moisturizers. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin and scar healing

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

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

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
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
Masking, Skin Conditioning, Soothing

Bisabolol is famous for its skin soothing properties. It does this by blocking inflammatory signals, helping to reduce your body's reaction to irritation.

This ingredient also interferes with the process of hyperpigmentation. This can help with reducing dark spots and uneven tone.

Bisabolol is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. By fighting these free-radicals, Bisabolol may slow down signs of aging.

Studies have shown Bisabolol to have antimicrobial properties and may be a fungicide. These properties help preserve a product's shelf life.

All these properties makes bisabolol a great skin barrier helper ingredient.

Bisabolol also helps the absorption of other ingredients.

Note: Synthetic Bisabolol has been shown to be less effective.

Learn more about Bisabolol
Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.

Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Learn more about Allantoin

This is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.

It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.

Buffering, Masking

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

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 even out skin tone.

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.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid
Antioxidant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

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.

Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.

Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.

You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.

There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.

Learn more about Tocopherol
Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (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.

Preservative

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.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

When to use

521 Routines
48% use in am
52% use in pm
96% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
82 Routines
39% use in am
61% use in pm
88% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Geek & Gorgeous Hydration Station 19 ingredients

3.9 /5
from 28 ratings
Hydrating (13) No Scent (11) Light (11)
Nikko's avatar

Nikko Russano

9 months ago
Review

I was so excited to try this because it looked like a really moisturizing FA safe moisturizer which is so hard to find. Unfortunately, this broke me out with little closed comedones and tiny pimples after just a week of use.

#broke me out
Lyd__4361's avatar

Lyd__4361

1 year ago
Review

Nice but gonna try other moisturisers instead
First FA safe moisturiser I’ve used. Had high hopes and expected this to become my holy grail but I find it pretty average. Always like a gel texture but sometimes when I use this on my face I find it looks like my face is still wet or it hasn’t absorbed fully so I end up going over to rub it in cuz it’s feels a tad sticky. Which i do find a bit Show more

Geek & Gorgeous Happier Barrier 24 ingredients

3.1 /5
from 9 ratings
Absorbs Well (4) Broke Me Out (4) Works Well (4)
drewlor's avatar

Drew Lor

4 months ago
Review

HOLY GRAIL!!!! 😭😭😭
My skin: Extremely sensitive, trans masc and started testosterone which made my skin oilier and somehow drier??? have had semi cystic hormonal acne. Wrecked skin barrier from exfoliating and shaving badly at the start of my testo journey.

THIS. THIS IS THE BEST. I thought because I have oilier skin it would break me out but this is one of the only moisturiser that doesn’t Show more

#great value
#hydrating
#absorbs well
#no scent
zatbid's avatar

zatbid

3 months ago
Review

I live in a humid weather and have combination skin, but surprisingly this product seals in well the retinal and azelaic acid products I use. Hydrating and moisturizing at the same time.

#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well
#works well