Minimalist Aquaporin Booster 05% Cleanser Versus The Derma Co Snail Peptide 96 Hydrating Face Wash

Minimalist Aquaporin Booster 05% Cleanser Versus The Derma Co Snail Peptide 96 Hydrating Face Wash

This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Glyceryl Glucoside

Diglycerin

Methylpropanediol

Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate

Pentylene Glycol

Methyl Gluceth-20

PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate

Coco-Glucoside

Glyceryl Oleate

Panthenol

Betaine

Sodium PCA

PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Allantoin

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Lactic Acid

Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Glucoside, Diglycerin, Methylpropanediol, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Pentylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Panthenol, Betaine, Sodium PCA, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Lactic Acid

Propylene Glycol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Niacinamide

Ethylhexyl Olivate

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate

Caffeine

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Tripeptide-1

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

N-Hydroxysuccinimide

Polysorbate 20

Butylene Glycol

Carbomer

Alpha-Arbutin

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Snail Secretion Filtrate

Ubiquinone

Retinyl Palmitate

Diacetyl Boldine

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate

Water, Propylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Caffeine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Alpha-Arbutin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Ubiquinone, Retinyl Palmitate, Diacetyl Boldine, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

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.

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!

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