Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

This smoothing serum is formulated around Lactic Acid and Glycolic Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

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

Lactic Acid

Propanediol

Jojoba Esters

Glycolic Acid

Potassium Hydroxide

Salix Alba Bark Extract

Carthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract

Citric Acid

Honey Extract

Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract

Propolis Extract

Royal Jelly Extract

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Zingiber Officinale Root Extract

Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Oil

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract

Saccharum Officinarum Extract

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract

Citrus Limon Fruit Extract

Acer Saccharum Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Arachidyl Alcohol

Sclerotium Gum

Coco-Glucoside

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Behenyl Alcohol

Arachidyl Glucoside

Sodium Benzoate

Tocopherol

Potassium Sorbate

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Gluconolactone

1,2-Hexanediol

Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

T-Butyl Alcohol

Glucose

Calcium Gluconate

Citral

Water, Lactic Acid, Propanediol, Jojoba Esters, Glycolic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Honey Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract, Propolis Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Arachidyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Coco-Glucoside, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Gluconolactone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, T-Butyl Alcohol, Glucose, Calcium Gluconate, Citral

Azelaic Acid

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate

Glyceryl Stearate

Dimethicone

Salicylic Acid

Adenosine

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract

Allantoin

Bisabolol

Cyclopentasiloxane

Xanthan Gum

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

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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.

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.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Sclerotium Gum is a natural sugar-based fiber made by fermenting a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It's often used as the plant-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners like carbomer.

In skincare, it works as a thickener, gel former, and stabilizer that keeps heavy ingredients suspended so a product does not separate.

It is non-ionic and forms a triple helix in solution. This is just a fancy way of saying it builds a smooth, cushiony, and non-sticky gel that feels silkier than many other gums.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it is very sturdy and holds up across a wide pH range (~2-11). It's also good at resisting heat and hydrolysis.

Since it holds water at the skin surface, it can provide some light hydration as well.

Typical use levels are around 0.25-2%; formulators usually use 0.2-0.5% to thicken lotions and up to 2% for a firmer gel base.

This ingredient has been found safe in cosmetics with no meaningful evidence of skin sensitization.

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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