Geek & Gorgeous aPAD 20% Azeclair Serum Versus Shiseido WASO KOSHIRICE Acne Calming Spot Treatment

Geek & Gorgeous aPAD 20% Azeclair Serum Versus Shiseido WASO KOSHIRICE Acne Calming Spot Treatment

This calming serum is formulated around Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate to calm redness and balance excess oil.

This acne treatment is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate to clear breakouts and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate

Propanediol

Glycerin

Methyl Gluceth-20

Allantoin

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Xanthan Gum

Citric Acid

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Allantoin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Salicylic Acid 0.5%

Butylene Glycol

Dipropylene Glycol

Dimethicone

PEG-6

PEG-32

PEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether

Erythritol

PEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract

Hydrolyzed Rice Extract

Citrus Depressa Peel Extract

Isostearyl Alcohol

Carbomer

Potassium Hydroxide

Sodium Metaphosphate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

BHT

Benzoic Acid

Salicylic Acid 0.5%, Water, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethicone, PEG-6, PEG-32, PEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether, Erythritol, Glycerin, PEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Extract, Citrus Depressa Peel Extract, Isostearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Metaphosphate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid

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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.

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!

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