Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer versus Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence .

Published on July 02, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 11 ingredients in common

Cool Features

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

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any oils, parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

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
Essence American Brand United States

General Moisturizer

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

Essence

Essences are used to prep skin for further treatment and may provide extra skin benefits. They are usually used before serum and moisturizers. Essences are thought to have originated in either Japan or Korea and is an essential step in K-Beauty.

Price

Shop

Buy High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer

Starts at $75.00
Shop

Buy Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence

Starts at $179.00

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
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid (3)

Benefits

Hydrating (5)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture (4)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (5)

Concerns

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

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C (2)
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid
Peptides (6)

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (5)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

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.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

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: 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

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 1.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 3.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.

The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.

This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.

Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.

Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.

Learn more about Pentylene Glycol

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 4.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 4.

4
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 5.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 5.

5
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

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.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 6.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 6.

6
What it does: Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming
Community Rating: Disliked

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

Carbomer is commonly found in many types of cosmetics products. It is found to be safe in concentrations up to 15%. However, a high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Most products contain 1% of less of carbomer.

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 19.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 16.

7
What it does: Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Phosphatidylcholine is a type of phospholipid. Phospholipids are naturally found in our skin as they are the main component of cell membranes. Phospholipids are skin-replenishing.

This ingredient can be found in the Lecithin of soybeans.

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 21.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 19.

8
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

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 23.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 18.

9
What it does: Humectant, Moisturising, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

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

Hyaluronic Acid has the capacity to bind to large amounts of water. This ingredient helps hydrate, soothe, and protect the skin.

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,

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Hyaluronic Acid

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 25.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 13.

10
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.

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 31.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 17.

11
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Disliked

Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.

Potassium sorbate is potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.

Potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.

Potassium sorbate is often used with stronger preservatives.

Learn more about Potassium Sorbate

Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 39.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence contains this as ingredient number 21.

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

44% are loved or liked
14% have mixed ratings
30% are disliked or very disliked
12% have no rating yet
48% are loved or liked
21% have mixed ratings
28% are disliked or very disliked
3% have no rating yet

Usage

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

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Perricone MD High Potency Classics: Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer.

See 50 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 14 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ The Essence.

See 14 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...