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Skin science article

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream Versus Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 + Peptide Night Moisturizer

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream Versus Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 + Peptide Night Moisturizer This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin. This anti-aging night moisturizer is formula

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream Versus Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 + Peptide Night Moisturizer

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Retinol and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Dimethicone

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Serine

Glycine

Alanine

Threonine

Arginine

Proline

Lysine Hcl

Glutamic Acid

Sodium PCA

PCA

Sodium Lactate

Urea

Sodium Chloride

Citric Acid

Betaine

Allantoin

Fructose

Maltose

Trehalose

Glucose

Pentylene Glycol

Synthetic Beeswax

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethiconol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Serine, Glycine, Alanine, Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Lysine Hcl, Glutamic Acid, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Betaine, Allantoin, Fructose, Maltose, Trehalose, Glucose, Pentylene Glycol, Synthetic Beeswax, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide

Tapioca Starch

Retinol

Retinyl Propionate

Niacinamide

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Polyacrylamide

C13-14 Isoparaffin

DMDM Hydantoin

Polysorbate 20

Laureth-4

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Laureth-7

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Aminomethyl Propanol

Titanium Dioxide

Disodium EDTA

Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Tapioca Starch, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Retinol, Retinyl Propionate, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, DMDM Hydantoin, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-4, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Laureth-7, Dimethiconol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Aminomethyl Propanol, Titanium Dioxide, Disodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

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.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

Dimethicone Crosspolymer is a silicone created by modifying dimethicone with hydrocarbon side chains. Due to its large size, it does not penetrate skin. It is considered non-occlusive.

Dimethicone Crosspolymer is used to stabilize and thicken products. It also helps give products a silky feel.

Dimethiconol is a silicone that resembles the popular dimethicone. Like other silicones, it is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on skin to prevent moisture from escaping.

This ingredient helps to create a silky texture and improve spreadability. Due to its high molecular weight and thickness, it is often combined with cyclopentasiloxane.

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!

Similar Comparisons

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. 03Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
  4. 04As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
  5. 05It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
  6. 06A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
  7. 07Aminomethyl Propanol is used to adjust the pH of products. It is also used as a base to create other organic compounds. Having a balanced pH is important for protecting your skin.
  8. 08Aminomethyl propanol is safe to use in cosmetics up to 1%. It is soluble in water.
  9. 09C13-14 Isoparaffin is a synthetic emollient, solvent, and thickening agent. It helps soften skin and improves spreadability without leaving a greasy residue.
  10. 10This ingredient has been found to be non-sensitizing and safe for use in cosmetics.
  11. 11Two things floating around online that cause fear-mongering:
  12. 12There's one scary-sounding study related to kidney tumors in male rats; this depends on a protein called alpha-2u-globulin that binds the ingredient and clogs up kidney cells. Female rats barely make this protein, and humans don't make it at all so …
  13. 13The other thing you'll see is 1,4-dioxane being a trace byproduct that can form during manufacturing of petroleum-derived ingredients. This is a real, but heavily managed/monitored issue. This byproduct is removed through purification steps before t…
  14. 14One last thing to note: this ingredient is a pure hydrocarbon with no fatty-acid or ester chains for Malassezia to feed on, so it's considered fungal acne safe.
  15. 15Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
  16. 16What it does:
  17. 17Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
  18. 18Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
  19. 19Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
  20. 20This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Source · skinsort.com
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Product index

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Comparison edit

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