Laneige Essential Power Skin Toner for Normal to Dry Skin Versus Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner

Laneige Essential Power Skin Toner for Normal to Dry Skin Versus Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner

This hydrating toner is formulated around Glycereth-26 and Beta-Glucan to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This pore-care toner is formulated around Niacinamide and Panthenol to refine the look of pores and balance excess oil.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycereth-26

Alcohol

Butylene Glycol

PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer

Glycogen

Glutamic Acid

Lysine Hcl

Magnesium Sulfate

Mannitol

Manganese Sulfate

Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract

Beta-Glucan

Betaine

Serine

Sucrose

Citrulline

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Alanine

Arginine

Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice

Zinc Sulfate

Calcium Chloride

Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract

Threonine

Panthenol

PCA

Histidine Hcl

Glycerin

Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane

Ethylhexylglycerin

Xanthan Gum

Phenyl Trimethicone

Propanediol

PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Disodium EDTA

Phenoxyethanol

Parfum

Water, Glycereth-26, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Glycogen, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Magnesium Sulfate, Mannitol, Manganese Sulfate, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Beta-Glucan, Betaine, Serine, Sucrose, Citrulline, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Alanine, Arginine, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Chloride, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Threonine, Panthenol, PCA, Histidine Hcl, Glycerin, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Phenyl Trimethicone, Propanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum

Niacinamide

Polysorbate 20

Adenosine

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract

Arctium Lappa Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Sodium PCA

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Phytosphingosine

Cholesterol

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Oleth-10

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Caprylyl Glycol

Hexylene Glycol

Sodium Citrate

Trisodium EDTA

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Polysorbate 20, Adenosine, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Arctium Lappa Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Oleth-10, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

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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.

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.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

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!

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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