Skin science article
Dr.Ceuracle Vegan Active Berry First Essence Versus Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water
Dr.Ceuracle Vegan Active Berry First Essence Versus Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water This calming essence is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Resveratrol to calm redness. This calming essence is formulated around Panax Ginseng Root Water a
Dr.Ceuracle Vegan Active Berry First Essence Versus Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water
This calming essence is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Resveratrol to calm redness.
This calming essence is formulated around Panax Ginseng Root Water and Niacinamide to calm redness and hydrate skin.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Glycerin
1,2-Hexanediol
Methylpropanediol
Glycereth-26
Centella Asiatica Extract
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
Eclipta Prostrata Extract
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Juniperus Mexicana Oil
Diglycerin
Isononyl Isononanoate
Octyldodeceth-16
Carbomer
Tromethamine
Adenosine
Disodium EDTA
Fructooligosaccharides
Butylene Glycol
Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Agar
Beta-Glucan
Betaine
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Ceramide NP
Xanthan Gum
Titanium Dioxide
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Resveratrol
Collagen
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Squalane
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Aluminum Hydroxide
Hydroxyacetophenone
Ethylhexylglycerin
Caprylyl Glycol
Water, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Methylpropanediol, Glycereth-26, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Diglycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Octyldodeceth-16, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Fructooligosaccharides, Butylene Glycol, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Agar, Beta-Glucan, Betaine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide NP, Xanthan Gum, Titanium Dioxide, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Resveratrol, Collagen, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Squalane, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol
Panax Ginseng Root Water
Propanediol
Niacinamide
Glyceryl Glucoside
Panthenol
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Allantoin
Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract
Theobroma Cacao Extract
Dextrin
Glucose
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Panax Ginseng Berry Extract
Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate
Panax Ginseng Root Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Water, Hydroxyacetophenone, Glyceryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Adenosine, Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Dextrin, Glucose, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Berry Extract, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA
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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
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.
The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.
A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
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.
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.
Hydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
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!
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.