Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum For Sensitive Skin Versus The INKEY List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum

Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum For Sensitive Skin Versus The INKEY List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Avena Sativa Kernel Flour and Avena Sativa Kernel Oil to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

This oil-control serum is formulated around Niacinamide to balance excess oil and refine the look of pores.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane

Isodecyl Neopentanoate

Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Chlorphenesin

Dimethicone

Succinoglycan

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Flower/Leaf/Stem Juice

Avena Sativa Kernel Flour

Avena Sativa Kernel Oil

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Dimethiconol

Sodium Hydroxide

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Chlorphenesin, Dimethicone, Succinoglycan, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Flower/Leaf/Stem Juice, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hydroxide, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Niacinamide

Propanediol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Phospholipids

Squalane

Xanthan Gum

Glycine Soja Oil

Allantoin

Sodium Phytate

Polysorbate 60

Panthenol

Glycolipids

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Sorbitan Isostearate

Glycine Soja Sterols

Citric Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Disodium Phosphate

Sodium Phosphate

Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phospholipids, Squalane, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja Oil, Allantoin, Sodium Phytate, Polysorbate 60, Panthenol, Glycolipids, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glycine Soja Sterols, Citric Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate

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.

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.

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.

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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