Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer Versus Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer

Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer Versus Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Squalane

Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Phenoxyethanol

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Lecithin

Caprylyl Glycol

Diheptyl Succinate

Isoeicosane

Allantoin

Bisabolol

Sodium Phytate

Glycine Soja Sterols

Linoleic Acid

Phospholipids

Hansenula/Kloeckera/Lactobacillus/Lactococcus/Leuconostoc/Pediococcus/Saccharomyces/Fig/Lemon Ferment

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Sorbitan Oleate

Cellulose Gum

Chitosan

1,2-Hexanediol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Lecithin, Caprylyl Glycol, Diheptyl Succinate, Isoeicosane, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Sodium Phytate, Glycine Soja Sterols, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Hansenula/Kloeckera/Lactobacillus/Lactococcus/Leuconostoc/Pediococcus/Saccharomyces/Fig/Lemon Ferment, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Sorbitan Oleate, Cellulose Gum, Chitosan, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate

Ethyl Macadamiate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Propanediol

Triethylhexanoin

Glyceryl Stearate

PEG-100 Stearate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root

Hydrolyzed Pumpkin Seedcake

Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract

Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract

Prunus Serotina Fruit Extract

Niacinamide

Tripeptide-29

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Phytosphingosine

Cholesterol

Panthenol

Sodium PCA

Adenosine

Arginine

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Sodium Gluconate

Isohexadecane

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Ethyl Macadamiate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Triethylhexanoin, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root, Hydrolyzed Pumpkin Seedcake, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Prunus Serotina Fruit Extract, Niacinamide, Tripeptide-29, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Adenosine, Lecithin, Arginine, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Isohexadecane, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

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.

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.

Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:

It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.

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.

This ingredient is a synthetic, salt form polymer built from acrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, or their simple esters. It works as a binder, film former, and viscosity increasing agent.

Typical concentrations start at around 0.5% but can go up to 25% for film-forming or binding.

The CIR Expert Panel assessed the safety of 126 acrylates copolymers and concluded they are safe in cosmetics at current use levels when formulated to be non-irritating. They also noted the levels present in finished cosmetic products are not considered a safety risk and Genotoxicity testing (Ames tests, chromosomal aberration assays) has come back negative across the board.

Though the raw building blocks (like acrylic acid) can be irritating on their own, cosmetic-grade versions go through purification to keep levels extremely low.

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer is a large molecule that doesn't penetrate skin barrier in any meaningful way.

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!

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