First Aid Beauty Hydrating Dewy Gel Cream Versus Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer

First Aid Beauty Hydrating Dewy Gel Cream Versus Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Hyaluronic Acid to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Squalane

Dimethicone

Phenyl Trimethicone

Betaine

Niacinamide

Pentylene Glycol

Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Propanediol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ceramide NP

Colloidal Oatmeal

Tocopherol

Sorbitan Isostearate

Decyl Glucoside

Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Crosspolymer

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Butylene Glycol

Dimethicone/Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer

Glyceryl Glucoside

Dimethiconol

Polysilicone-11

1,2-Hexanediol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Hexylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Polysorbate 60

Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Betaine, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Colloidal Oatmeal, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Glucoside, Dimethiconol, Polysilicone-11, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 60

Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate

Glyceryl Stearate

Stearyl Alcohol

Hyaluronic Acid

Ceramide EOP

Ceramide Ng

Ceramide As

Ceramide AP

Carnosine

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Phytosterols

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11

Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide NP, Ceramide As, Ceramide AP, Carnosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Phytosterols, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11, 1,2-Hexanediol

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.

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

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).

It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.

This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.

Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.

Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.

No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).

Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.

This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.

Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.

Read more about squalene with an "e".

Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.

The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.

Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.

A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.

The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.

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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