Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Face Mask Versus Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream

Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Face Mask Versus Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream

This hydrating overnight mask is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Trehalose to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil and Sodium Hyaluronate to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Cetyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Glyceryl Polymethacrylate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

PEG-8

Glycereth-26

Sucrose

Sorbitan Stearate

PEG-100 Stearate

Trehalose

Mangifera Indica Seed Butter

Hypnea Musciformis Extract

Gelidiella Acerosa Extract

Olea Europaea Fruit Extract

Triticum Vulgare Bran Extract

Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract

Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter

Cetearyl Alcohol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water

PEG-75

Caffeine

Pantethine

Sorbitol

Butylene Glycol

Oryzanol

Bisabolol

Panthenol

Phytosterols

Tocopheryl Acetate

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hexylene Glycol

Carbomer

Potassium Hydroxide

Dextrin

Disodium EDTA

Phenoxyethanol

CI 14700

CI 19140

Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, PEG-8, Glycereth-26, Sucrose, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Trehalose, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Hypnea Musciformis Extract, Gelidiella Acerosa Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Extract, Triticum Vulgare Bran Extract, Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, PEG-75, Caffeine, Pantethine, Sorbitol, Butylene Glycol, Oryzanol, Bisabolol, Panthenol, Phytosterols, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexylene Glycol, Carbomer, Potassium Hydroxide, Dextrin, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, CI 14700, CI 19140

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Petrolatum

Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate

Tridecyl Trimellitate

Ceramide NP

Cholesterol

Tocopherol

Squalane

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Niacinamide

Polysorbate 60

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Whey Protein

Tridecyl Stearate

Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Phenyl Trimethicone

Myristyl Myristate

Linoleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Decarboxy Carnosine Hcl

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Cetearyl Glucoside

Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax

Aminomethyl Propanol

Benzoic Acid

Chlorphenesin

Sorbic Acid

Water, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Tocopherol, Squalane, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Polysorbate 60, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Whey Protein, Tridecyl Stearate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Myristyl Myristate, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Decarboxy Carnosine Hcl, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Benzoic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol

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.

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.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

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.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

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%.

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.

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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