Pacifica Dreamy Youth Super Peptide Cream Versus Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Barrier Face Cream

Pacifica Dreamy Youth Super Peptide Cream Versus Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Barrier Face Cream

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 and Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate to soften the look of wrinkles.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Ceramide NP and Ceramide AP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Myristyl Myristate

Isopropyl Myristate

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Stearic Acid

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Glycerin

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate

Propanediol

Glyceryl Stearate

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Cetyl Alcohol

Stearyl Alcohol

Betaine

Arginine

Sodium PCA

Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract

Iris Pallida Leaf Cell Extract

Rosa Damascena Flower Water

Pelargonium Graveolens Oil

Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide

Tocopheryl Acetate

Xanthan Gum

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Myristyl Myristate, Isopropyl Myristate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycerin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Betaine, Arginine, Sodium PCA, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Iris Pallida Leaf Cell Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Caprylate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Phytosphingosine

Cholesterol

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Niacinamide

Avena Sativa Kernel Flour

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-19

Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract

Sodium Lactate

Aspartic Acid

PCA

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Valine

Proline

Threonine

Isoleucine

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Plant Ash

Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Niacinamide, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-19, Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Plant Ash

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.

It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.

Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.

A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.

Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.

One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.

Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.

This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.

Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).

Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.

While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.

Its main roles are:

Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.

The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.

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.

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.

It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.

Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.

Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.

Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.

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.

Sodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.

Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.

As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.

There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.

Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.

It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.

Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.

Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.

Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.

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.

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