Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Beplain Cicaterol Moisturizer Versus Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel

Beplain Cicaterol Moisturizer Versus Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel This calming moisturizer is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Niacinamide to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier. This calming moisturizer is formulated around Pant

Beplain Cicaterol Moisturizer Versus Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Niacinamide to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Centella Asiatica Extract 67.8%

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Propanediol

Water

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Niacinamide

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

1,2-Hexanediol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Isononyl Isononanoate

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Carbomer

Tromethamine

Panthenol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Allantoin

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Adenosine

Beta-Sitosterol

Glucose

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Pentylene Glycol

Madecassoside

Cynanchum Atratum Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Asiaticoside

Madecassic Acid

Asiatic Acid

Centella Asiatica Extract 67.8%, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Water, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Niacinamide, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Allantoin, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Adenosine, Beta-Sitosterol, Glucose, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Pentylene Glycol, Madecassoside, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid

Methyl Trimethicone

Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Glyceryl Glucoside

C12-14 Alketh-12

Maltodextrin

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Betaine

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Polyquaternium-51

Xanthan Gum

Disodium EDTA

Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract

Sodium Citrate

Beta-Glucan

Hydrolyzed Corn Starch

Citric Acid

Sucrose

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Caprylyl Glycol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Tocopherol

Cyanocobalamin

Glycine

Serine

Glutamic Acid

Aspartic Acid

Leucine

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Alanine

Lysine

Arginine

Tyrosine

Phenylalanine

Proline

Threonine

Valine

Isoleucine

Histidine

Cysteine

Methionine

Phosphoric Acid

Ascorbic Acid

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Methyl Trimethicone, Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Glucoside, C12-14 Alketh-12, Maltodextrin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Betaine, Panthenol, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Polyquaternium-51, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Glucose, Sodium Citrate, Beta-Glucan, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Sucrose, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Cyanocobalamin, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Cysteine, Methionine, Phosphoric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1

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

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer is a synthetically created polymer. It's used as a film-forming agent and used to thicken the consistency of products.

Think of it as a supportive ingredient that helps your gel-creams feel silky, "cloud cream-like", and spread evenly without being greasy.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it (along with 22 other acryloyldimethyltaurate polymers) and concluded it's:

Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating it.

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.

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.

Glucose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide). In skincare, it is mostly a humectant and skin conditioning agent.

Mechanistically, it has multiple hydroxyl groups that hydrogen-bond to water. This pulls moisture into the upper layers of skin to keep the surface soft and hydrated.

It's worth knowing sugars are already a natural component of the skin's NMF (natural moisturizing factor) so it's a molecule that your stratum corneum is well-acquainted with.

Just so you know, glucose is hydrophilic (water-loving) and the stratum corneum is a strong barrier to hydrophilic compounds. This just means penetration is slow and most of the action is happening on the surface.

Gram-to-gram, glucose is not as efficient as a humectant as glycerin. This is why you'll likely see glycose paired with stronger humectants for a bigger hydration payoff.

In skincare, glucose is typically derived from corn or other starch sources.

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.

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer is made up of glycerin and polyacrylic acid. It helps hydrate your skin as a humectant.

This ingredient forms a hydrogel that delivers moisturizing, water-based ingredients to the skin. It is also used to thicken a product and to give it a smooth texture.

Acrylic acid itself is toxic, but the polymer form (this ingredient) is too large to penetrate skin, making it non-toxic.

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.

Tromethamine (aka THAM) is a synthetic amino acid that shows up in skincare as a helper ingredient.

It functions as a pH adjuster to help neutralize acidic ingredients and set a formula's pH to the right spot.

This matters a lot because a lot of actives (like vitamin C) needs a specific pH to work well and feel comfortable on skin.

Concentration use ranges from 0.1-1.0% depending on the formula.

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 Side-by-side

  1. 01Centella Asiatica Extract
  2. 023-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
  3. 03Glycerin
  4. 04Propanediol
  5. 05Betaine
  6. 06Dicaprylyl Carbonate
  7. 07Methyl Trimethicone
  8. 08Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
  9. 09Panthenol
  10. 10Laminaria Japonica Extract
  11. 11Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract
  12. 12Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract
  13. 13Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract
  14. 14Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
  15. 15Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract
  16. 16Hydrogenated Lecithin
  17. 17Cetearyl Alcohol
  18. 18Water
  19. 19Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
  20. 20Silica
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Beauty of Joseon Repair Serum

Beauty of Joseon Repair Serum Beauty of Joseon Repair Serum ingredients explained: Panax Ginseng Root Water, Water, Butylene Glycol, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexane…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side