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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer versus Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer .

Published on November 12, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe general moisturizers. They have a total of 12 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain AHA, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or sulfates

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

General Moisturizer American Brand United States
General Moisturizer Danish Brand Denmark

General Moisturizer

All-purpose moisturizers hydrate the top layer of skin cells.

General Moisturizer

All-purpose moisturizers hydrate the top layer of skin cells.

Price

Shop

Buy C5 Super Boost Moisturizer

Starts at $45.00
Shop

Buy C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer

Starts at $48.00

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
Vitamin C (3)
Vitamin E
Hyaluronic Acid
Peptides (2)

Benefits

Hydrating (3)
Redness Reducing (3)
Skin Texture (3)
Anti-Aging (4)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (4)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Vitamin C (3)
Vitamin E
Hyaluronic Acid (2)

Benefits

Hydrating (3)
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture (5)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (5)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (6)
Brightening (5)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating (4)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Compared

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

Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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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: Antioxidant, Buffering, Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.

Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.

Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin. It improves dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because it blocks the process of skin darkening when exposed to UV.

Remember: Vitamin C should not replace sunscreen!

Your skin uses vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen is one key component in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. Vitamin C also plays a role in regulating collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines.

Ascorbic acid shows potent antioxidant activity. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. These antioxidants also protect skin against UV damage.

The best formulations include Vitamin E and/or ferulic acid. These two ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in the benefits of ascorbic acid. This is because ascorbic acid becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. In fact, you can tell your ascorbic acid has oxidized when it turns an orange-yellow color.

Ascorbic acid is generally compatible with other ingredients. However, using ascorbic acid with other active ingredients might cause irritation. Two ingredients: copper ions and benzoyl peroxide, will inactivate ascorbic acid completely.

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.

Learn more about Ascorbic Acid

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 1.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 39.

2
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

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 3.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 1.

3
What it does: Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.

As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 4.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 3.

4
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

You might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.

Like other types of vitamin C, this ingredient has many benefits including reducing wrinkles, skin soothing, dark spot fading, and fighting against free radicals.

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid interferes with the process of skin darkening, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation. It also encourages the skin to produce more collagen.

Once applied, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is converted to Vitamin C deeper in the skin's layers. This process is slow but makes this ingredient more tolerable for skin.

The optimum pH range for this ingredient is 4 - 5.5

Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 5.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 6.

5
What it does: Antioxidant
Community Rating: Liked

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate (long name, huh?) is a synthetic antioxidant.

It is used to help stabilize other antioxidants or prevent the color from changing in a product.

As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Thus, antioxidants may reduce the signs of aging.

This ingredient is oil-soluble.

Learn more about Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 17.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 20.

6
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

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 18.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 34.

7
What it does: Solvent
Community Rating: Liked

Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use.

It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 20.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 4.

8
What it does: Antioxidant, Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

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

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 22.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 40.

9
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

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.

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 32.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 29.

10
What it does:
Community Rating: Liked

Sodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.

Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 34.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 36.

11
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

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 42.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 17.

12
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and 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.

Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 47.

Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 18.

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

37% are loved or liked
14% have mixed ratings
37% are disliked or very disliked
12% have no rating yet
43% are loved or liked
15% have mixed ratings
33% are disliked or very disliked
9% have no rating yet

Usage

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

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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 5 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice C5 Super Boost Moisturizer.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Olehenriksen C-Rush™ Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer.

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