Clinique Moisture Surge™ Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief Versus The INKEY List Hydro-Surge Dewy Face Mist

Clinique Moisture Surge™ Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief Versus The INKEY List Hydro-Surge Dewy Face Mist

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Caffeine to calm redness.

This hydrating toner is formulated around Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract to hydrate skin and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dipropylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water

Centella Asiatica Extract

Saccharomyces Lysate Extract

Faex Extract

Caffeine

Trehalose

Tocopheryl Acetate

Sucrose

Sorbitol

Disodium EDTA

Potassium Sorbate

Chlorphenesin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Centella Asiatica Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Faex Extract, Caffeine, Trehalose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sucrose, Sorbitol, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Betaine

Xylitylglucoside

Maris Aqua

Anhydroxylitol

Xylitol

Citric Acid

Pentylene Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Lactic Acid

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Betaine, Xylitylglucoside, Maris Aqua, Phenoxyethanol, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Benzoate

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.

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.

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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