Beautycounter Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream Versus Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Repair Cream

Beautycounter Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream Versus Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Repair Cream

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Bakuchiol and Butyrospermum Parkii Butter to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Retinol and Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Isononyl Isononanoate

Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter

Glycerin

Cetyl Alcohol

Coconut Alkanes

Cetyl Phosphate

Bakuchiol

Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract

Tetrapeptide-21

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Phytic Acid

Tocopherol

Arginine

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Potassium Sorbate

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Butylene Glycol

Xanthan Gum

Disodium Phosphate

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Isononyl Isononanoate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Coconut Alkanes, Cetyl Phosphate, Bakuchiol, Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract, Tetrapeptide-21, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Phytic Acid, Tocopherol, Arginine, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Petrolatum

Cetearyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate

Glyceryl Stearate

Tridecyl Trimellitate

PEG-100 Stearate

Phenyl Trimethicone

Retinol

Adenosine

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Ceramide Ng

Sodium Hyaluronate

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Niacinamide

Lecithin

Linoleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Retinyl Palmitate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract

Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Glycine Soja Sterols

Tribehenin

PEG-10 Phytosterol

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Sodium PCA

Sodium Lactate

Pullulan

Sodium Hydroxide

Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Cetearyl Glucoside

Tridecyl Stearate

Behenyl Alcohol

Sclerotium Gum

Carbomer

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Polysorbate 20

Disodium EDTA

Sorbic Acid

Chlorphenesin

Benzoic Acid

Water, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Retinol, Adenosine, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ceramide Ng, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Tribehenin, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tridecyl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Carbomer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid

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.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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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