Versus

PURITO Hydro Wave Deep Sea Serum Versus Prequel Multi-Quench Plumping Hydration Serum

Serum
Serum
Korean Brand South Korea
American Brand United States

Updated on August 20, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe serums. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

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, oils, 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

Benefits

Key Ingredients

Benefits

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.

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.

Solvent

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin. 

It’s often used to:

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
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
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
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse. 

It is a:

  • Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  • Emollient, helping to soften skin
  • Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  • Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives 
Skin Conditioning

Ectoin is a compound found naturally in some species of bacteria. It can be synthetically created for skincare use.

This ingredient is an osmolyte; Osmolytes help organisms survive osmotic shock (it protects them from extreme conditions). It does this by influencing the properties of biological fluids within cells.

When applied to the skin, ectoin helps bind water molecules to protect our skin. The water forms a sort of armor for the parts of our skin cells, enzymes, proteins, and more.

Besides this, ectoin has many uses in skincare:

A study from 2004 found ectoin to counteract the damage from UV-A exposure at different cell levels. It has also been shown to protect skin against both UV-A, UV-B rays, infrared light, and visible light.

Studies show ectoin to have dual-action pollution protection: first, it protects our skin from further pollution damage. Second, it helps repair damage from pollution.

In fact, ectoin has been shown to help with:

Fun fact: In the EU, ectoin is used in inhalation medication as an anti-pollution ingredient.

Ectoin is a highly stable ingredient. It has a wide pH range of 1-9. Light, oxygen, and temperature do not affect this ingredient.

Learn more about Ectoin

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken and improve the texture of products. Due to its properties, it can prevent water and oil ingredients from separating.

Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum
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.

When to use

113 Routines
49% use in am
51% use in pm
96% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
255 Routines
51% use in am
49% use in pm
95% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

PURITO Hydro Wave Deep Sea Serum 24 ingredients

4.8 /5
from 4 ratings
Light (3) Works Well (3) Hydrating (2)
Totoro's avatar

Totoro

5 months ago
Review

This is the new packaging/name of Deep Sea Droplet Serum and my review is for both. I read about this serum on SkinSort.com as gentle for sensitive skin yet beneficial for anti-aging with mushroom extract for dark spots and peptides. I use it in the morning and it helps with anti-redness. Instead of Hyaluronic Acid it has glycerin which adds moisture to the skin. Great value and is anti fungal Show more

#great value
#light
#no scent
#works well
amandaneal's avatar

Amanda Neal

3 months ago
Review

Great hydrating serum without hyaluronic acid or niacinamide. Works perfectly when skin barrier is compromised and actives are too much. On the other hand, I live in a dry climate and find when I do use products with hyaluronic acid this really helps provide the moisture needed.

#hydrating
#light
#works well

Prequel Multi-Quench Plumping Hydration Serum 18 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 3 ratings
Light (3) Hydrating (3) Works Well (3)
alyssaklein's avatar

Alyssa Klein

6 months ago
Review

Comparing this to experiments super saturated, it comes in a larger bottle made of glass. But they are very similar! I like how Prequel shares the pH level.

#great value
#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well
rachleaves's avatar

rachleaves

4 months ago
Review

This appears to be the only moisturizer I can use that doesn't break me out or inflame me. I am still a tiny bit dry but that is to be expected without any emollients and I am not going to rock the boat and add anything at this moment. I avoid ingredients in almost everything marketed toward "sensitive skin" including niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, so I was thrilled to find this one.

#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well
#no scent