Alastin C-Radical Defense Antioxidant Serum Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

Alastin C-Radical Defense Antioxidant Serum Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Sodium Ascorbate and Ubiquinone to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Ferulic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glycerin

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Squalane

Sodium Ascorbate

Ubiquinone

Ectoin

Physalis Angulata Extract

Betaine

Phosphatidylcholine

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Carnosine

Centella Asiatica Extract

Olea Europaea Leaf Extract

Zingiber Officinale Root Extract

Ergothioneine

Dunaliella Salina Extract

Punica Granatum Fruit Extract

Bisabolol

Lactoferrin

Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Cetyl Alcohol

Sodium Benzoate

Xanthan Gum

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Propanediol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Caprylyl Glycol

Mannitol

Lecithin

Phenoxyethanol

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Squalane, Sodium Ascorbate, Ubiquinone, Ectoin, Physalis Angulata Extract, Betaine, Phosphatidylcholine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Carnosine, Centella Asiatica Extract, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Ergothioneine, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Bisabolol, Lactoferrin, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Propanediol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Mannitol, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate

Ascorbic Acid

Dipropylene Glycol

Ethoxydiglycol

Sodium Hydroxide

PPG-26-Buteth-26

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Ferulic Acid

Sodium Phytate

Decylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Sphingomonas Ferment Extract

Water, Ascorbic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Sodium Hydroxide, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Bisabolol, Ferulic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Decylene Glycol, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Phenoxyethanol

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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.

Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.

It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.

A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.

In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.

You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.

Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.

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.

Phenoxyethanol 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.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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!

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