Fenty Beauty Fat Water Versus Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Replenishing Toner

Fenty Beauty Fat Water Versus Paula's Choice Resist Advanced Replenishing Toner

This pore-care toner is formulated around Niacinamide to refine the look of pores and balance excess oil.

This barrier-repair toner is formulated around Linoleic Acid and Phospholipids to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Butylene Glycol

Niacinamide

Polysorbate 20

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract

Ficus Carica Fruit Extract

Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract

Hovenia Dulcis Fruit Extract

Malpighia Punicifolia Fruit Extract

Glycerin

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Citric Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Benzoic Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Phenoxyethanol

Parfum

CI 17200

Water, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Polysorbate 20, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Hovenia Dulcis Fruit Extract, Malpighia Punicifolia Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzoic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, CI 17200

Cyclopentasiloxane

Glycereth-26

Dimethiconol

Linoleic Acid

Oleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Phospholipids

Carnosine

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Genistein

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sphingolipids

Ferulic Acid

Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Soy Protein

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Acetyl Glucosamine

Quercetin

Oenothera Biennis Oil

Beta Vulgaris Root Extract

Cucurbita Pepo Seed Extract

Lecithin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Hydrolyzed Corn Starch

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Palmitic Acid

Xanthan Gum

Laureth-23

Laureth-4

Aminomethyl Propanol

Disodium EDTA

Sodium Benzoate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Chlorphenesin

Sorbic Acid

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Polysorbate 20, Dimethiconol, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Phospholipids, Carnosine, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Genistein, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sphingolipids, Ferulic Acid, Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Acetyl Glucosamine, Quercetin, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Extract, Lecithin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid

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.

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.

As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.

It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.

A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.

Benzoic Acid is an organic acid that shows up in cosmetics as a preservative. It helps keep a product from spoiling by holding back the growth of yeast, mold, and some bacteria.

This ingredient also functions as a fragrance ingredient that helps mask the unpleasant scent of other ingredients.

The way it works is worth understanding; benzoic acid works when the formula is acidic. It is able to sneak into a microbe's cell and mess up how it functions to stop it from growing in an acidic product.

However, the acid switches to an inactive form and stops working if a product isn't acidic enough (above ~5 pH). This is why you'll often see it in low pH products or teamed up with other preservatives to cover the gap.

Safety wise, it's one of the better studied preservatives out there.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%.

A large international review found this ingredient had no effects on the human body and had low irritation potential.

Just so you know, real world use is usually much lower than the 5% ceiling (usually 1% of less).

The EU caps it at 2.5% in rinse-off products, 1.7% in oral care, and 0.5% in leave-on products.

One thing worth mentioning (it's nothing to worry about): some people get a little stinging or flushing where they apply it. This isn't a true allergy; it's a temporary and harmless reaction. This is the same kind of mild tingle you might notice from sorbic acid.

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.

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 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.

It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.

The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.

Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).

True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.

Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.

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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