Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Aestura Atobarrier365 Hydro Soothing Cream Versus Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel

Aestura Atobarrier365 Hydro Soothing Cream Versus Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin. This calming moisturizer is formulated around P

Aestura Atobarrier365 Hydro Soothing Cream Versus Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Panthenol and Allantoin to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Dimethicone

Squalane

1,2-Hexanediol

Betaine

Cetearyl Alcohol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Hydrogenated Rice Bran Oil

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Mannitol

Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide

Stearic Acid

Ethylhexylglycerin

Glyceryl Caprylate

Propanediol

Glyceryl Stearate

Sodium Metaphosphate

Ceramide NP

Carbomer

Palmitic Acid

Silica

Zinc Chloride

Cholesterol

Beta-Glucan

Sphingolipids

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Myristic Acid

Propylene Glycol

Lauric Acid

Tocopherol

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Squalane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydrogenated Rice Bran Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Mannitol, Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Stearic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Metaphosphate, Ceramide NP, Carbomer, Palmitic Acid, Silica, Zinc Chloride, Cholesterol, Beta-Glucan, Sphingolipids, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Myristic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Lauric Acid, Tocopherol

Methyl Trimethicone

Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Tromethamine

Glyceryl Glucoside

C12-14 Alketh-12

Maltodextrin

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Panthenol

Allantoin

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Polyquaternium-51

Xanthan Gum

Disodium EDTA

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract

Glucose

Sodium Citrate

Hydrolyzed Corn Starch

Citric Acid

Sucrose

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Caprylyl Glycol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Cyanocobalamin

Glycine

Serine

Glutamic Acid

Aspartic Acid

Leucine

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Alanine

Lysine

Arginine

Tyrosine

Phenylalanine

Proline

Threonine

Valine

Isoleucine

Histidine

Cysteine

Methionine

Phosphoric Acid

Ascorbic Acid

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Methyl Trimethicone, Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Glucoside, C12-14 Alketh-12, Maltodextrin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Betaine, Panthenol, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Polyquaternium-51, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Glucose, Sodium Citrate, Beta-Glucan, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Sucrose, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Cyanocobalamin, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Cysteine, Methionine, Phosphoric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1

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.

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

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer is a synthetically created polymer. It's used as a film-forming agent and used to thicken the consistency of products.

Think of it as a supportive ingredient that helps your gel-creams feel silky, "cloud cream-like", and spread evenly without being greasy.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it (along with 22 other acryloyldimethyltaurate polymers) and concluded it's:

Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating it.

Beta-Glucan is a soluble polysaccharide (a chain of glucose sugars) sourced from the cells walls of oats, baker's yeast, mushrooms, and seaweed.

It's a rare ingredient that pulls double-duty as a heavy-duty hydrator and skin-soothing repair agent.

On the surface, it acts as a humectant that holds water in place and reduces moisture loss for a plumper, smoother feel, while its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties make it a great pick for calming redness or sensitive skin

The more interesting story is underneath:

Despite its large molecular size, oat beta-glucan has been shown to penetrate the epidermis and reach the dermis by slipping between skin cells. Here, it interacts with fibroblasts and macrophages to nudge collagen synthesis and support wound repair.

A small 2005 split-face clinical study of 27 subjects found topical beta-glucan produced measurable reductions in wrinkle depth, height, and roughness after 8 weeks of use.

It is worth noting the trial was small and the penetration testing used frozen, irradiated skin so the anti-aging data is encouraging rather than definitive.

This ingredient gets along with pretty much everything and is typically used around 0.1-1%.

Fungal acne: This ingredient is not a food source for the Malassezia yeast because it is a glucose polysaccharide with no fatty acid or ester component.

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.

Butylene 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.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Side-by-side

  1. 01Water
  2. 02Dibutyl Adipate
  3. 03Propanediol
  4. 04Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
  5. 05Polymethylsilsesquioxane
  6. 06Ethylhexyl Triazone
  7. 07Niacinamide
  8. 08Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
  9. 09Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
  10. 10Caprylyl Methicone
  11. 11Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
  12. 12Glycerin
  13. 131,2-Hexanediol
  14. 14Butylene Glycol
  15. 15Oryza Sativa Extract
  16. 16Oryza Sativa Germ Extract
  17. 17Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
  18. 18Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract
  19. 19Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract
  20. 20Saccharum Officinarum Extract
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

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03

Comparison edit

Read side by side