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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule versus Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum .

Last updated on October 27, 2023. Published on February 26, 2021

Overview

What they are

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

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, reducing pores and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols, fragrances and oils

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

Ampoule South Korean Brand South Korea
Serum South Korean Brand South Korea

Ampoule

Ampoules are created to target one area of concern. They are usually highly concentrated with active or beneficial ingredients.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy Snail Ampoule

Starts at $12.96
Shop

Buy First Care Activating Serum

Starts at $3.69

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
ph level
5

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Niacinamide

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin E

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (4)
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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: 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

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 4.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.

2
What it does: Antimicrobial, Astringent, Masking, Solvent
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is usually an astringent alcohol.

These alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.

Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.

Fatty alcohols come from plant oils such as coconut oil. These can help hydrate the skin and are non-irritating. Some fatty alcohols include cetyl and stearyl alcohol.

Learn more about Alcohol

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 5.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
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.

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 8.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 9.

4
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.

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 10.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 12.

5
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Liked

Tromethamine is an aliphatic compound. An aliphatic compound is an organic compound with open-chained carbon atoms. It is synthetically created. Tromethamine is used to balance pH and improve texture.

As an emulsifier, Tromethamine prevents oil and water ingredients from separating. This helps stabilize the product and elongate a product's shelf life. Tromethamine also makes a product thicker.

Tromethamine helps balance the pH level of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.

Oral Tromethanmine is an anti-inflammatory drug but plays the role of masking, adding fragrance, and/or balancing pH in skincare.

1,3-Propanediol, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-

Learn more about Tromethamine

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 11.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 13.

6
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.

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 13.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 26.

7
What it does: Absorbent
Community Rating: Liked

Dextrin is used to thicken a product and helps bind ingredients together. It is created from starch and glycogen.

As an emulsifier, dextrin prevents ingredients from separating. This helps elongate a product's shelf life.

Studies show coating UV filters with dextrin prevents these ingredients from being absorbed. This helps UV ingredients last longer on the skin.

Learn more about Dextrin

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 16.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 19.

8
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 17.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 30.

9
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

This ingredient is extracted from the seeds of the cocoa tree.

Cacao seeds contain antioxidants known as polyphenols. These include flavonoids, procyanidins, and epicatechins.

Studies show these polyphenols help improve skin health.

The more famous ingredient from cocoa tree is cocoa butter.

Learn more about Theobroma Cacao Extract

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 18.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 18.

10
What it does: Masking, Perfuming
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 19.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

11
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.

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule contains this as ingredient number 20.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

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

45% are loved or liked
21% have mixed ratings
21% are disliked or very disliked
14% have no rating yet
33% are loved or liked
6% have mixed ratings
42% are disliked or very disliked
19% have no rating yet

Usage

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

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Village 11 Factory Snail Ampoule 29 ingredients

Snail Ampoule hasn't been rated yet.
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Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum 48 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 2 reviews

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