ma:nyo Bifida Biome Ampoule Toner Versus Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water

ma:nyo Bifida Biome Ampoule Toner Versus Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water

This barrier-repair toner is formulated around Panthenol and Bifida Ferment Lysate to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This calming essence is formulated around Panax Ginseng Root Water and Niacinamide to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Propanediol

Pentylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Saccharum Officinarum Extract

Betaine

Panthenol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Disodium EDTA

Glucose

Xanthan Gum

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Fructooligosaccharides

Fructose

Bifida Ferment Lysate

Ceramide NP

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Tocopherol

Allantoin

Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract

Lactobionic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans

Sodium Hyaluronate

Cutibacterium Granulosum Ferment Extract Filtrate

Xylitol

Benzyl Glycol

Bifida Ferment Filtrate

Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Salix Alba Bark Extract

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Betaine, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Disodium EDTA, Glucose, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Fructooligosaccharides, Fructose, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Ceramide NP, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract, Lactobionic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cutibacterium Granulosum Ferment Extract Filtrate, Xylitol, Benzyl Glycol, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Salix Alba Bark Extract

Panax Ginseng Root Water

Niacinamide

Hydroxyacetophenone

Glyceryl Glucoside

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Adenosine

Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract

Theobroma Cacao Extract

Dextrin

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

Panax Ginseng Berry Extract

Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate

Panax Ginseng Root Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Water, Hydroxyacetophenone, Glyceryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Adenosine, Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Dextrin, Glucose, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Berry Extract, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA

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.

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

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

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%.

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.

Glucose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide). In skincare, it is mostly a humectant and skin conditioning agent.

Mechanistically, it has multiple hydroxyl groups that hydrogen-bond to water. This pulls moisture into the upper layers of skin to keep the surface soft and hydrated.

It's worth knowing sugars are already a natural component of the skin's NMF (natural moisturizing factor) so it's a molecule that your stratum corneum is well-acquainted with.

Just so you know, glucose is hydrophilic (water-loving) and the stratum corneum is a strong barrier to hydrophilic compounds. This just means penetration is slow and most of the action is happening on the surface.

Gram-to-gram, glucose is not as efficient as a humectant as glycerin. This is why you'll likely see glycose paired with stronger humectants for a bigger hydration payoff.

In skincare, glucose is typically derived from corn or other starch sources.

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.

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.

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.

Similar Comparisons