Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Colloidal Oatmeal and Squalane to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Squalane

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Behenyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea

Stearic Acid

Betaine

Mannitol

C14-22 Alcohols

Palmitic Acid

Hydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea

Arachidyl Alcohol

Cholesterol

Polyacrylate-13

C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside

Allantoin

Arachidyl Glucoside

Niacinamide

Ceramide NP

Glyceryl Caprylate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Carbomer

Tromethamine

Dimethiconol

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer

Sorbitan Isostearate

Silica

Phytosphingosine

Sphingolipids

Arachidic Acid

Tocopherol

Oleic Acid

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Squalane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Behenyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Stearic Acid, Betaine, Mannitol, C14-22 Alcohols, Palmitic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cholesterol, Polyacrylate-13, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Allantoin, Arachidyl Glucoside, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Dimethiconol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Silica, Phytosphingosine, Sphingolipids, Arachidic Acid, Tocopherol, Oleic Acid

Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Glyceryl Stearate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Xanthan Gum

Sodium Hydroxide

Tetrasodium EDTA

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%, Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Ceramide NP, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.

Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.

This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.

A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.

Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.

Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.

Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

Glycerin (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.

Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).

It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.

This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.

Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.

Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.

No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).

Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.

This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.

Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.

Read more about squalene with an "e".

Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.

The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.

Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.

A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.

The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.

Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.

In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:

Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

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!

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