Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

BRTC Centella Cica Derm Versus Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel

BRTC Centella Cica Derm 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

BRTC Centella Cica Derm 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 54.97%

Dipropylene Glycol

Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate

Niacinamide

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Stearate

Squalane

Hydroxyacetophenone

Vinyldimethicone

Asiaticoside

Asiatic Acid

Madecassic Acid

Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate

Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate

Decyl Glucoside

Glycerin

Citric Acid

Carbomer

Tromethamine

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Ceramide AP

1,2-Hexanediol

Water

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Glyceryl Caprylate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Adenosine

Butylene Glycol

Spirulina Platensis Extract

Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract

Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract

Portulaca Oleracea Extract

Saccharomyces Lysate Extract

Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Disodium EDTA

Limonene

Geraniol

Linalool

Centella Asiatica Extract 54.97%, Dipropylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Squalane, Hydroxyacetophenone, Vinyldimethicone, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Ceramide AP, 1,2-Hexanediol, Water, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Adenosine, Butylene Glycol, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Disodium EDTA, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool

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

Panthenol

Allantoin

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Polyquaternium-51

Xanthan Gum

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract

Glucose

Sodium Citrate

Beta-Glucan

Hydrolyzed Corn Starch

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

Be the first to review

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

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.

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.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

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.

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 Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 031,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
  4. 04It is a:
  5. 05Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  6. 06Emollient, helping to soften skin
  7. 07Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  8. 08Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
  9. 09This ingredient is better known as bemotrizinol or Tinosorb S and is one of the best broad-spectrum UV filters in modern sunscreen.
  10. 10It works by absorbing UV light across a whole range (280-400 nm) with peaks around 310 nm (UVB) and 340-345 nm (UVA). This means it covers UVB plus the deeper UVA wavelengths that drive photoaging and pigmentation.
  11. 11Another pro?
  12. 12It's exceptionally photostable, barely degrades in sunlight, and acts as a "bodyguard" for less stable filters.
  13. 13That's why you'll see it paired with avobenzone or octinoxate; this team up ensures they keep working through sun exposure.
  14. 14Safety reviews have been reassuring across the board. This ingredient shows low absorption through the skin, rarely irritates, and lab studies found it doesn't act like a hormone in the body (a concern that's been raised about some older sunscreen f…
  15. 15On maximum concentrations:
  16. 16In 2026, the US F.D.A finally added it as an OTC sunscreen ingredient at concentrations up to 6% for adults / children 6 months and older
  17. 17Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
  18. 18Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
  19. 19Though 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.
  20. 20Butyloctyl Salicylate is a chemical UV filter structurally similar to octisalate. It is a photostabilizer, SPF booster, emollient and solvent. This ingredient helps evenly spread out ingredients.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Beauty of Joseon Hanbok Scrunchie

Beauty of Joseon Hanbok Scrunchie Beauty of Joseon Hanbok Scrunchie Orchid Pink product information and details A styling tool with 0 ingredients. A styling tool we don't have a full ingred…

Source: skinsort.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side