Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Barrier Face Cream Versus The INKEY List Omega Water Cream

Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Barrier Face Cream Versus The INKEY List Omega Water Cream This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Ceramide NP and Ceramide AP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin. This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated a

Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Barrier Face Cream Versus The INKEY List Omega Water Cream

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

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and balance excess oil.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Propanediol

Betaine

Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Magnesium Sulfate

Glycosphingolipids

Glycolipids

Sodium Benzoate

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Oleic Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Citric Acid

Polyglycerin-3

Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Betaine, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Magnesium Sulfate, Glycosphingolipids, Glycolipids, Sodium Benzoate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Oleic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Polyglycerin-3

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.

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.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

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.

01

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. 03Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
  4. 04It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
  5. 05The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
  6. 06The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
  7. 07Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
  8. 08One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
  9. 09This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
  10. 10On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
  11. 11Water. 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.
  12. 12So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
  13. 13You'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!
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

The Inkey List Advanced Retinal Serum

The Inkey List Advanced Retinal Serum The Inkey List Advanced Retinal Serum ingredients explained: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Polyglyceryl-6…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →

Product

The Inkey List Caffeine Serum

The Inkey List Caffeine Serum The Inkey List Caffeine Serum ingredients explained: Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taura…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →

Product

The Inkey List Retinol

The Inkey List Retinol The Inkey List Retinol ingredients explained: Water (Aqua/Eau), Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopherol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side