Versus

heimish Matcha Biome Oil-Free Calming Gel Moisturizer Versus Soul Apothecary HYDRA Water Gel Cream

General Moisturizer
General Moisturizer
Korean Brand South Korea
Filipino Brand Philippines

Updated on July 31, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe general moisturizers. They have a total of 6 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, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

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

What's Inside

They both contain silicones

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
Matcha Biome Oil-Free Calming Gel Moisturizer

Water

Skin Conditioning

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial
Antioxidant IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Glycerin

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

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Dicaprylyl Ether

Emollient

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
Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.
  • It has mild preservative properties.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl Methicone is a type of silicone.

It helps soften and soothe the skin by creating a thin film on top. This film helps trap moisture, keeping your skin hydrated.

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
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

When to use

184 Routines
51% use in am
49% use in pm
97% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
3 Routines
67% use in am
33% use in pm
100% use every day

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

heimish Matcha Biome Oil-Free Calming Gel Moisturizer 44 ingredients

2.8 /5
from 6 ratings
Hydrating (3) Works Well (3) Light (3)
aryuka's avatar

Aryuka

6 months ago
Review

This moisturizer has been great for me! I really love that it only really moisturizes and doesn’t try to do anything else because it doesn’t overwhelm my skin. It has a gel like texture and when you put it on your skin it feels so smooth. I’ve noticed my texture, atop my skins moisture, has gotten a lot better with this. My skin feels so smooth all the time now. Also, it hasn’t reacted badly to my Show more

#great value
#hydrating
#sticky
#light scent
mandac's avatar

Mandy C 🌸

7 months ago
Review

Immediately stung and turned my face red. No idea what ingredient is getting me

#irritating

Soul Apothecary HYDRA Water Gel Cream 22 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 1 rating
Absorbs Well (1) Great Value (1) Hydrating (1)
maikobanaag_sc's avatar

Maiko Nikko Banaag

3 months ago
Review

This is the best moisturizer for oily skin that I’ve tried among three others because it is very lightweight and doesn’t leave a greasy feel when used in the morning.

I have a tip for you all when looking for a moisturizer: check the top five ingredients on the list. This will give you an idea of the moisturizer’s texture. The top five ingredients in this moisturizer are aqua, butylene glycol, Show more

#great value
#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well