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Avène Gentle Toning Lotion Versus Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky Toner

Avène Gentle Toning Lotion Versus Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky Toner This calming toner is formulated around Panthenol and Allantoin to calm redness and hydrate skin. What's inside Key Ingredients No key ingredients Benefits No benefits Concerns Ingred

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Avène Gentle Toning Lotion Versus Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky Toner

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

No benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Parfum

Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate

Phenoxyethanol

Stearalkonium Hectorite

Trisodium EDTA

Water, Parfum, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Trisodium EDTA

Pentylene Glycol

Glycerin

Propanediol

C13-15 Alkane

Panthenol

Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate

Ceteth-20 Phosphate

Sodium PCA

Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Allantoin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Dicetyl Phosphate

Maltodextrin

Althaea Officinalis Root Extract

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium Phytate

Pantolactone

Water, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, C13-15 Alkane, Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate, Ceteth-20 Phosphate, Sodium PCA, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Pantolactone, Phenoxyethanol

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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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The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

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

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
  4. 04Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
  5. 05Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
  6. 06Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
  7. 07Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
  8. 08Your 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.
  9. 09Aquaporin-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.
  10. 10This 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.
  11. 11Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
  12. 12Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
  13. 13Hexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
  14. 14It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
  15. 15As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
  16. 16Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
  17. 17This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
  18. 18A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
  19. 19Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
  20. 20It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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