e.l.f. cosmetics Power Grip Primer + 4% Niacinamide Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hyaluronic Hydrating Primer

e.l.f. cosmetics Power Grip Primer + 4% Niacinamide Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hyaluronic Hydrating Primer

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Niacinamide

PEG-150 Distearate

Polysorbate 80

Tocopherol

Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

PEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether

Potassium Laurate

1,2-Hexanediol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Disodium EDTA

Pentylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylyl Glycol

CI 16035

CI 19140

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, PEG-150 Distearate, Polysorbate 80, Tocopherol, Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether, Potassium Laurate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Disodium EDTA, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, CI 16035, CI 19140

Cyclopentasiloxane

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Lauroyl Lysine

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Mica

Isohexadecane

CI 77891

C12-14 Pareth-12

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Santalum Album Wood Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Chlorphenesin

Tin Oxide

Cucumis Melo Fruit Extract

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Rose Extract

Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Citric Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Lauroyl Lysine, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Mica, Phenoxyethanol, Isohexadecane, CI 77891, Polysorbate 80, C12-14 Pareth-12, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Disodium EDTA, Santalum Album Wood Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tin Oxide, Cucumis Melo Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Rose Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide

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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.

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.

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.

Polysorbate 80 is a synthetic surfactant and emulsifier derived from sorbitol and oleic acid.

It reduces the surface tension between oil and water phases to help them stay mixed and stable in a formulation. In other words, it prevents your formulas from separating into an oily mess.

The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the scientific data and found this ingredient to be safe, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing at concentrations up to 5% (it's even approved by the FDA as an OTC eye drop ingredient).

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.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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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