iUNIK Beta Glucan Power Moisture Serum Versus Allies of Skin Beta Glucan & Resveratrol Advanced Hydrating Serum

iUNIK Beta Glucan Power Moisture Serum Versus Allies of Skin Beta Glucan & Resveratrol Advanced Hydrating Serum

This hydrating serum is formulated around Beta-Glucan and Adenosine to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Beta-Glucan and Ceramide NP to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

1,2-Hexanediol

Butylene Glycol

Adenosine

Tromethamine

Sodium PCA

Carbomer

Beta-Glucan

Sodium Polyacrylate

Water, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Adenosine, Tromethamine, Sodium PCA, Carbomer, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Polyacrylate

PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Ethyl Macadamiate

Caprylyl Glycol

Punica Granatum Seed Oil

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

C10-18 Triglycerides

Methylheptylglycerin

Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil

Carnosine

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Ceramide NP

Pichia/Resveratrol Ferment Extract

Punica Granatum Extract

Panthenol

Bisabolol

Honey

Phospholipids

Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide

Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters

Hyaluronic Acid

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Madecassoside

Asiaticoside

Superoxide Dismutase

Lecithin

Pullulan

Sphingolipids

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract

Tocopherol

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Astaxanthin

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sclerotium Gum

Sodium Polygamma-Glutamate

Glyceryl Stearate

Sodium Gluconate

Xanthan Gum

Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Propanediol

Citric Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Dehydroacetate

Polysorbate 60

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Polysorbate 20

Silica

Malic Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Water, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Glycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Ethyl Macadamiate, Caprylyl Glycol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, C10-18 Triglycerides, Methylheptylglycerin, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Beta-Glucan, Carnosine, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Pichia/Resveratrol Ferment Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Bisabolol, Honey, Phospholipids, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Hyaluronic Acid, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Superoxide Dismutase, Lecithin, Pullulan, Sphingolipids, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Astaxanthin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Polygamma-Glutamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Gluconate, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Propanediol, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Polysorbate 20, Silica, Malic Acid, Phenoxyethanol

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.

Beta-Glucan is a soluble polysaccharide (a chain of glucose sugars) sourced from the cells walls of oats, baker's yeast, mushrooms, and seaweed.

It's a rare ingredient that pulls double-duty as a heavy-duty hydrator and skin-soothing repair agent.

On the surface, it acts as a humectant that holds water in place and reduces moisture loss for a plumper, smoother feel, while its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties make it a great pick for calming redness or sensitive skin

The more interesting story is underneath:

Despite its large molecular size, oat beta-glucan has been shown to penetrate the epidermis and reach the dermis by slipping between skin cells. Here, it interacts with fibroblasts and macrophages to nudge collagen synthesis and support wound repair.

A small 2005 split-face clinical study of 27 subjects found topical beta-glucan produced measurable reductions in wrinkle depth, height, and roughness after 8 weeks of use.

It is worth noting the trial was small and the penetration testing used frozen, irradiated skin so the anti-aging data is encouraging rather than definitive.

This ingredient gets along with pretty much everything and is typically used around 0.1-1%.

Fungal acne: This ingredient is not a food source for the Malassezia yeast because it is a glucose polysaccharide with no fatty acid or ester component.

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 PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.

Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.

As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.

There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.

Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.

It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.

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