Origins A Perfect World™ Age-Defense Treatment Lotion with White Tea Versus Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Essential Hydrating Toner

Origins A Perfect World™ Age-Defense Treatment Lotion with White Tea Versus Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Essential Hydrating Toner

This anti-aging toner is formulated around Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

This hydrating toner is formulated around Superoxide Dismutase and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract to hydrate skin and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil

Citrus Medica Peel Oil

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil

Cinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil

Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil

Magnolia Acuminata Flower Extract

Iris Pallida Root Extract

Rosa Damascena Extract

Citral

Linalool

Limonene

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycerin

Thermus Thermophillus Ferment

Trehalose

Sorbitol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Caprylyl Glycol

Polysorbate 20

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Hexylene Glycol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Benzoate

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Butylene Glycol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Medica Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Magnolia Acuminata Flower Extract, Iris Pallida Root Extract, Rosa Damascena Extract, Citral, Linalool, Limonene, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Trehalose, Sorbitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Hexylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol

Pentylene Glycol

Superoxide Dismutase

Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Sodium PCA

Creatine

Lecithin

Linoleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate

Panthenol

Allantoin

PEG-4

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Superoxide Dismutase, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Sodium PCA, Creatine, Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Allantoin, PEG-4, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol

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.

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.

Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.

Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.

In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.

There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.

Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.

A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.

The quality of the extract matters a lot here:

Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.

Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).

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.

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a water-soluble form of Vitamin C. It is used in skincare because it tends to be more formulation friendly than pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

According to research, MAP has three major benefits:

While MAP is gentler on the skin than ascorbic acid, it is thought to be less easily absorbed into the skin.

In a well-known absorption study, pure vitamin C increased skin vitamin C levels when formulated correctly, but derivatives like MAP did not in that experiment. This suggests MAP may not always convert into active vitamin C in the skin.

Due to MAP's stability up to a pH level of 7, it is more stable to air and sunlight exposure than ascorbic acid. The best pH range for MAP is between 5 and 6.

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.

Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.

It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.

The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.

Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).

True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.

Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.

Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.

Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.

It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.

One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.

Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.

Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.

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.

Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.

The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.

Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.

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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