La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Face Serum with Hyaluronic Acid Versus Naturium Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Serum 5%

La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Face Serum with Hyaluronic Acid Versus Naturium Quadruple Hyaluronic Acid Serum 5%

This hydrating serum is formulated around Panthenol and Madecassoside to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid and Sodium Hyaluronate to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Alcohol Denat.

Propylene Glycol

Panthenol

Pentylene Glycol

Dimethicone

PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides

PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30

Glyceryl Isostearate

Madecassoside

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Disodium EDTA

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Caprylyl Glycol

Citric Acid

Xanthan Gum

Butylene Glycol

Tocopherol

Phenoxyethanol

Parfum

Water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30, Glyceryl Isostearate, Madecassoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum

Propanediol

Apricot Kernel Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters

Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate

Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Magnolol

Kaempferol

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Glycolipids

Glycine Soja Sterols

Tocopheryl Acetate

Sorbitan Palmate

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Hydroxide

Glyceryl Polyacrylate

Hexylene Glycol

Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Apricot Kernel Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters, Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Magnolol, Kaempferol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Glycolipids, Glycine Soja Sterols, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitan Palmate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Xanthan Gum, Hexylene Glycol

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.

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).

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.

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.

It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.

Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.

Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.

Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.

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.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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