Bolden Nightime Repair Serum With 10% Glycolic Acid Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

Bolden Nightime Repair Serum With 10% Glycolic Acid Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

This smoothing serum is formulated around Glycolic Acid and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Ferulic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycolic Acid

Aminomethyl Propanol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil

Cetyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Glycerin

Propanediol

Cetearyl Olivate

Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sorbitan Olivate

Sodium Magnesium Silicate

Stearic Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Ceteareth-20

Panthenyl Triacetate

Bisabolol

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Acetyl Rheum Rhaponticum Root Extract

Helianthus Annuus Extract

Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Tocopherol

Zingiber Officinale Root Extract

Arginine

Parfum

Water, Glycolic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Propanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ceteareth-20, Panthenyl Triacetate, Bisabolol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Acetyl Rheum Rhaponticum Root Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Arginine, Parfum

Ascorbic Acid

Dipropylene Glycol

Ethoxydiglycol

Sodium Hydroxide

PPG-26-Buteth-26

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Ferulic Acid

Sodium Phytate

Decylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Sphingomonas Ferment Extract

Water, Ascorbic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Sodium Hydroxide, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Bisabolol, Ferulic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Decylene Glycol, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, 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.

Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.

It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.

A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.

In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.

You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.

Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.

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.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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!

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