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Skin science article

Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Versus SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner

Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Versus SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner This hydrating treatment is formulated around Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract to hydrate skin. This smoothing toner is formulated around Galactomyces Fermen

Laneige Cream Skin Refiner Versus SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion Toner

This hydrating treatment is formulated around Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract to hydrate skin.

This smoothing toner is formulated around Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate and Salicylic Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

1,2-Hexanediol

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Inulin Lauryl Carbamate

Glyceryl Caprylate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Propanediol

Disodium EDTA

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Tocopherol

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Propanediol, Disodium EDTA, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

Polysorbate 20

Sodium Hyaluronate

PEG-150

Cellulose Gum

Citric Acid

Salicylic Acid

Lactic Acid

Malic Acid

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Benzoate

Methylparaben

Water, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-150, Cellulose Gum, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Salicylic Acid, Lactic Acid, Malic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben

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.

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.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

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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The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

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

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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. 12Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
  13. 13Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
  14. 14Studies 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.
  15. 15In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
  16. 16There'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.
  17. 17Needless 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.
  18. 18A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
  19. 19The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
  20. 20Good 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.
Source · skinsort.com
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Product index

Related product references

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Comparison edit

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