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Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide Versus The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide Versus The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 This acne serum is formulated around Propolis Extract and Niacinamide to clear breakouts and brighten dull-looking skin. This hydrating treatment is formulated arou

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide Versus The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

This acne serum is formulated around Propolis Extract and Niacinamide to clear breakouts and brighten dull-looking skin.

This hydrating treatment is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Propolis Extract

Dipropylene Glycol

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Water

Niacinamide

1,2-Hexanediol

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract

Centella Asiatica Extract

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Lotus Corniculatus Seed Extract

Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil

Betaine Salicylate

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Tromethamine

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Dextrin

Pentylene Glycol

Octanediol

Tocopherol

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Propolis Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Water, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Lotus Corniculatus Seed Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Betaine Salicylate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dextrin, Pentylene Glycol, Octanediol, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer

Propanediol

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Panthenol

Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Citric Acid

Isoceteth-20

Ethoxydiglycol

Hexylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol

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.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

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%.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

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

01

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. 03Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
  4. 04Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
  5. 05Though 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.
  6. 06Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
  7. 07Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
  8. 08This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
  9. 09A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
  10. 10Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
  11. 11Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
  12. 12Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
  13. 13Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
  14. 14This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
  15. 15On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
  16. 16One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too st…
  17. 17Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
  18. 18You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
  19. 19Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
  20. 20Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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