Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Glow Recipe Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner Versus Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer

Glow Recipe Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner Versus Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer This brightening toner is formulated around Ubiquinone and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract to brighten dull-looking skin and hydrate skin. This hydrating toner is formula

Glow Recipe Cloudberry Bright Essence Toner Versus Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer

This brightening toner is formulated around Ubiquinone and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract to brighten dull-looking skin and hydrate skin.

This hydrating toner is formulated around Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil and Ceramide AP to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract

Ubiquinone

Lactobacillus

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil

Collagen Amino Acids

Oat Amino Acids

Oryza Sativa Bran

Tocopherol

Ethyl Olivate

Algin

Capsicum Annuum Fruit Extract

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract

Dextrin

Molasses

Sodium Citrate

Butylene Glycol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Cholesterol

Mentha Arvensis Extract

Barosma Betulina Leaf Extract

Citrus Limon Peel Oil

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Rosa Damascena Flower Water

Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil

Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil

Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil

Juniperus Virginiana Oil

Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil

Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil

1,2-Hexanediol

Calcium Chloride

Salvia Sclarea Oil

Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

Juniperus Mexicana Oil

Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Oil

Cupressus Sempervirens Leaf/Nut/Stem Oil

Ocimum Basilicum Oil

Ribes Nigrum Bud Extract

Olea Europaea Leaf Extract

Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil

Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract

Pimpinella Anisum Fruit Extract

Gellan Gum

Polyglyceryl-2 Laurate

Glyceryl Caprate

Water, Glycerin, Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract, Ubiquinone, Lactobacillus, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Collagen Amino Acids, Oat Amino Acids, Oryza Sativa Bran, Tocopherol, Ethyl Olivate, Algin, Capsicum Annuum Fruit Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract, Dextrin, Molasses, Sodium Citrate, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cholesterol, Mentha Arvensis Extract, Barosma Betulina Leaf Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Calcium Chloride, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens Leaf/Nut/Stem Oil, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Ribes Nigrum Bud Extract, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Pimpinella Anisum Fruit Extract, Gellan Gum, Polyglyceryl-2 Laurate, Glyceryl Caprate

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Ceramide AP

Squalane

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Inulin Lauryl Carbamate

Glyceryl Caprylate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Propanediol

Disodium EDTA

Carbomer

Mannitol

Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer

Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract

Hyaluronic Acid

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Xanthan Gum

Ceramide NP

Camellia Japonica Flower Extract

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Ceramide AP, 1,2-Hexanediol, Squalane, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propanediol, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Mannitol, Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide NP, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11

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

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.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 031,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
  4. 04It is a:
  5. 05Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  6. 06Emollient, helping to soften skin
  7. 07Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  8. 08Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
  9. 09Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
  10. 10Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
  11. 11Though 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.
  12. 12Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
  13. 13Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
  14. 14It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
  15. 15Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
  16. 16A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
  17. 17Ceramide AP is is a skin-identical lipid that mimics what your skin already makes naturally. Ceramides help maintain epidermal integrity and barrier function.
  18. 18You'll often see this ingredient paired with other ceramides (like ceramide NP), cholesterol, or fatty acids because this combination best mimics the natural lipid mix your skin already has.
  19. 19The skin's ability to produce ceramides gets disrupted in skin conditions like eczema. This in turn weakens the skin barrier and applying ceramides topically has been shown to replenish what's been lost to restore barrier function.
  20. 20Most of the studies with Ceramide AP test it as part of a multi-ceramide complex; studies reinforce ceramide AP's role in rebalancing ceramides in skin and improving skin hydration.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

Read side by side