Colibri Skincare Barrier Booster Versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

Colibri Skincare Barrier Booster Versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Panthenol and Ectoin to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

This calming treatment is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Salicylic Acid to calm redness and fade the look of dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Pentylene Glycol

Panthenol

Tricaprylin

Glyceryl Stearate

Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate

Ectoin

Niacinamide

Squalane

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide As

Ceramide Ns

Ceramide EOP

Linoleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Cholesterol

Asiaticoside

Madecassic Acid

Asiatic Acid

Tocopherol

Allantoin

Beta-Glucan

Glycerin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Citric Acid

Dipropylene Glycol

Sucrose Distearate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Propylheptyl Caprylate

Xanthan Gum

Water, Pentylene Glycol, Panthenol, Tricaprylin, Glyceryl Stearate, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Ectoin, Niacinamide, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide EOP, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Cholesterol, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Beta-Glucan, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Citric Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Sucrose Distearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Xanthan Gum

Azelaic Acid

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate

Dimethicone

Salicylic Acid

Adenosine

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract

Bisabolol

Cyclopentasiloxane

Sclerotium Gum

Propanediol

Butylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Azelaic Acid, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Salicylic Acid, Adenosine, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, 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.

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

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.

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.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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