Earth Rhythm 10% Niacinamide + Phyto Ceramides + Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Skin Inc Ceramide Serum

Earth Rhythm 10% Niacinamide + Phyto Ceramides + Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Skin Inc Ceramide Serum

This oil-control serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Ceramide NP to balance excess oil and strengthen the skin barrier.

This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Ceramide EOP and Ceramide Ns to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Niacinamide

Dimethicone

Glycerin

Polysilicone-11

Butylene Glycol

Polysorbate 40

Ethoxydiglycol

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate

Ceramide NP

Sodium Hyaluronate

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Panthenol

Xanthan Gum

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polysilicone-11, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 40, Ethoxydiglycol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Pentylene Glycol

Ceramide EOP

Ceramide Ns

Ceramide AP

Alcaligenes Polysaccharides

Algin

Phytosphingosine

Cholesterol

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Polysorbate 80

Carbomer

Titanium Dioxide

Titanium/Titanium Dioxide

Potassium Hydroxide

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Alcaligenes Polysaccharides, Algin, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Polysorbate 80, Carbomer, Titanium Dioxide, Titanium/Titanium Dioxide, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide

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.

Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.

Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.

This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.

A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.

Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.

Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.

Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.

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!

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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