Skin science article
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner Versus Benton Deep Green Tea Toner
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner Versus Benton Deep Green Tea Toner This hydrating toner is formulated around Squalane and Colloidal Oatmeal to hydrate skin and calm redness. This calming toner is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extra
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner Versus Benton Deep Green Tea Toner
This hydrating toner is formulated around Squalane and Colloidal Oatmeal to hydrate skin and calm redness.
This calming toner is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract to calm redness and balance excess oil.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Glycerin
Glycereth-26
Squalane
Sorbitan Oleate
Phenoxyethanol
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Colloidal Oatmeal
Mel
Saccharomyces/Honey Ferment Filtrate
Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract
Sodium Hydroxide
Potassium Sorbate
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Sodium Benzoate
Citric Acid
Beta-Glucan
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Propolis Extract
Sodium Hyaluronate
Xanthan Gum
Ethylhexylglycerin
Tetrasodium EDTA
Chlorphenesin
Benzoic Acid
Sorbic Acid
Water, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Squalane, Sorbitan Oleate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Colloidal Oatmeal, Mel, Saccharomyces/Honey Ferment Filtrate, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Beta-Glucan, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Propolis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water
Butylene Glycol
1,2-Hexanediol
Pentylene Glycol
Centella Asiatica Extract
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Camellia Sinensis Seed Extract
Camellia Sinensis Root Extract
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
Betaine
Sodium Citrate
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Root Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Betaine, Sodium Citrate
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.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
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.
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.
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!