Somethinc SOS Bakuchiol Electrolyte Rich Moisturizer Silk Creme Versus Dear Me Beauty Skin Barrier Water Cream Improved Formula
This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Bakuchiol to soften the look of wrinkles.
This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Panthenol to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Isohexadecane
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Maris Aqua
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyacrylamide
Betaine
Humectant
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingC13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningT-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Gardenia Jasminoides Fruit Extract
Cosmetic ColorantMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Water, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Maris Aqua, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Betaine, Bakuchiol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Ethylhexylglycerin, T-Butyl Alcohol, Gardenia Jasminoides Fruit Extract, Maltodextrin
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Chloride, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Betaine, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Silica, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Allantoin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Lactic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Dipropylene Glycol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineButylene 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 GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
