Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream Versus The INKEY List Omega Water Cream

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream Versus The INKEY List Omega Water Cream

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

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and balance excess oil.

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

Propanediol

Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Magnesium Sulfate

Glycosphingolipids

Glycolipids

Sodium Benzoate

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Potassium Sorbate

Citric Acid

Polyglycerin-3

Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Betaine, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Magnesium Sulfate, Glycosphingolipids, Glycolipids, Sodium Benzoate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Oleic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Polyglycerin-3

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.

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.

Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.

As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.

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.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

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.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

Oleic Acid is an Omega-9 fatty acid that can be found naturally in your skin's sebum and in many plant oils such as avocado and olive oil.

It is an emollient that helps soften skin and prevent moisture loss.

Research shows:

A 1998 study did find that applying oleic acid at higher concentrations may cause irritation and disrupt the skin barrier. Modern formulations typically use low levels that is well-tolerated.

The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Oleic Acid, at C18, falls right into that sweet spot.

In vitro studies have shown that Oleic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.

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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