Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Repair Cream Versus Clarins Extra-Firming Wrinkle Control Regenerating Night Cream
This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Retinol and Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.
This night moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter to hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tridecyl Trimellitate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Tribehenin
Emollient
PEG-10 Phytosterol
EmulsifyingMagnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Pullulan
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingNeopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Tridecyl Stearate
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Retinol, Adenosine, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ceramide Ng, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Tribehenin, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tridecyl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Carbomer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientParfum
Masking
Anigozanthos Flavidus Extract
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Tromethamine
BufferingMarrubium Vulgare Extract
Skin ConditioningKalanchoe Pinnata Leaf Extract
MaskingBalanites Roxburghii Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Mitracarpus Scaber Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydrated Silica
Abrasive
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingFurcellaria Lumbricalis Extract
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningMaris Sal
Skin ConditioningWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Caprylate, Parfum, Anigozanthos Flavidus Extract, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Betaine, Sorbitol, Tromethamine, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Kalanchoe Pinnata Leaf Extract, Balanites Roxburghii Seed Oil, Mitracarpus Scaber Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Hydrated Silica, Phenethyl Alcohol, Furcellaria Lumbricalis Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Maris Sal
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl GlucosideDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearatePeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
