Balea Serum Beauty Expert Azelain Booster Versus Balea Beauty Expert Peptide Serum

Balea Serum Beauty Expert Azelain Booster Versus Balea Beauty Expert Peptide Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate to calm redness and balance excess oil.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Copper Tripeptide-1 and Sodium Hyaluronate to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Niacinamide

Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate

Glycerin

Betaine

Panthenol

Lactic Acid

Xanthan Gum

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Hydroxide

Pantolactone

Citric Acid

Water, Niacinamide, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Glycerin, Betaine, Panthenol, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Pantolactone, Citric Acid

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Copper Tripeptide-1

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydroxyacetophenone

Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid

Propanediol

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Copper Tripeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Propanediol, Betaine

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.

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.

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.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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