BIOTHERM Blue Therapy Eye Cream Versus La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C Eye Cream

BIOTHERM Blue Therapy Eye Cream Versus La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C Eye Cream

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Vitreoscilla Ferment and Adenosine to soften the look of wrinkles.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Madecassoside to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Cyclohexasiloxane

Butylene Glycol

Alcohol Denat.

Stearic Acid

Stearyl Alcohol

Cetyl Alcohol

Palmitic Acid

PEG-100 Stearate

Glyceryl Stearate

Sorbitol

Beeswax

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Nylon-66

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Octyldodecanol

Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol

Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate

PEG-20 Stearate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Propylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer

Capryloyl Salicylic Acid

Tocopheryl Acetate

Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

CI 77891

Isohexadecane

Mica

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Chlorhexidine Digluconate

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Vitreoscilla Ferment

Acrylates Copolymer

Adenosine

Polysorbate 80

Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract

Polygonum Fagopyrum Seed Extract

Algae

Algae Extract

N-Hydroxysuccinimide

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide

Chrysin

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Water, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitol, Beeswax, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Nylon-66, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Octyldodecanol, Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, PEG-20 Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, CI 77891, Isohexadecane, Mica, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Vitreoscilla Ferment, Acrylates Copolymer, Adenosine, Polysorbate 80, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Polygonum Fagopyrum Seed Extract, Algae, Algae Extract, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Dimethicone

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Ascorbic Acid

Mannose

Paraffinum Liquidum

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Potassium Hydroxide

Paraffin

Sodium Styrene/Ma Copolymer

Microcrystalline Wax

Madecassoside

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethiconol

Disodium EDTA

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Caprylyl Glycol

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Xanthan Gum

Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Ascorbic Acid, Mannose, Butylene Glycol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Potassium Hydroxide, Paraffin, Sodium Styrene/Ma Copolymer, Microcrystalline Wax, Madecassoside, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Xanthan Gum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Phenoxyethanol

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.

Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.

Its main roles are:

Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.

The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.

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 Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Peg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.

PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate (long name, huh?) is a synthetic antioxidant.

It is used to help stabilize other antioxidants or prevent the color from changing in a product.

As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Thus, antioxidants may reduce the signs of aging.

This ingredient is oil-soluble.

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.

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