Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Revitalizing Toner Versus Beauty of Joseon Bubble Toner: Green Plum + AHA

Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Revitalizing Toner Versus Beauty of Joseon Bubble Toner: Green Plum + AHA This hydrating toner is formulated around Panthenol and Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier. This smoothing tone

Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Revitalizing Toner Versus Beauty of Joseon Bubble Toner: Green Plum + AHA

This hydrating toner is formulated around Panthenol and Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This smoothing toner is formulated around Glycolic 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

Glycereth-26

Dipropylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Panthenol

Polyquaternium-51

Propanediol

PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Tromethamine

Cellulose Gum

Disodium EDTA

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Parfum

Beta-Glucan

Sodium Hyaluronate

Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate

Tocopherol

Undaria Pinnatifida Extract

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-51, Propanediol, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tromethamine, Cellulose Gum, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Parfum, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Tocopherol, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract

Prunus Mume Fruit Water

Glycolic Acid

Pentylene Glycol

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Portulaca Oleracea Extract

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Saccharum Officinarum Extract

Oryza Sativa Bran Water

Honey Extract

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract

Sodium PCA

Glucose

C12-14 Pareth-12

Fructooligosaccharides

Fructose

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Phytate

Ethyl Hexanediol

Water, Prunus Mume Fruit Water, Glycolic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Water, Honey Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Glycerin, Propanediol, Tromethamine, Sodium PCA, Glucose, C12-14 Pareth-12, Butylene Glycol, Fructooligosaccharides, Fructose, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Ethyl Hexanediol

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.

Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.

This ingredient helps:

Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.

As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.

Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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.

Tromethamine (aka THAM) is a synthetic amino acid that shows up in skincare as a helper ingredient.

It functions as a pH adjuster to help neutralize acidic ingredients and set a formula's pH to the right spot.

This matters a lot because a lot of actives (like vitamin C) needs a specific pH to work well and feel comfortable on skin.

Concentration use ranges from 0.1-1.0% depending on the formula.

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 Side-by-side

  1. 01Water
  2. 02Butylene Glycol
  3. 03Glycerin
  4. 041,2-Hexanediol
  5. 05Methyl Trimethicone
  6. 06Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract
  7. 07Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
  8. 08Tromethamine
  9. 09Glyceryl Glucoside
  10. 10C12-14 Alketh-12
  11. 11Maltodextrin
  12. 12Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
  13. 13Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
  14. 14Dimethicone Crosspolymer
  15. 15Ethylhexylglycerin
  16. 16Betaine
  17. 17Panthenol
  18. 18Allantoin
  19. 19Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
  20. 20Polyquaternium-51
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

Read side by side