Babor Couperose Serum Versus First Aid Beauty Anti-Redness Serum

Babor Couperose Serum Versus First Aid Beauty Anti-Redness Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Panthenol and Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

This calming serum is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Bisabolol to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Pentylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Panthenol

Phenoxyethanol

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Disodium EDTA

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Allantoin

Sodium Hydroxide

Citric Acid

Pantolactone

Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Pantolactone

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Polysorbate 20

Bisabolol

Caprylyl Glycol

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Benzophenone-4

Caffeine

Colloidal Sulfur

Zingiber Officinale Root Extract

Water, Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phenoxyethanol, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Polysorbate 20, Bisabolol, Caprylyl Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Benzophenone-4, Caffeine, Colloidal Sulfur, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract

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.

Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.

Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.

It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.

Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.

A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.

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.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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.

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

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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