Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Booster Versus Balea Beauty Expert Night Cream

Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Booster Versus Balea Beauty Expert Night Cream

This anti-aging treatment is formulated around Retinol and Ceramide NP to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil

Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate

Butylene Glycol

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Polysorbate 20

Retinol

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root

Ceramide NP

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Epilobium Angustifolium Extract

Arctium Lappa Seed Oil

Salix Alba Extract

Allantoin

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Caprylyl Glycol

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate

Ethylhexyl Olivate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Glyceryl Ascorbate

Disodium EDTA

Sorbic Acid

Xanthan Gum

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate, Butylene Glycol, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Polysorbate 20, Retinol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root, Ceramide NP, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Arctium Lappa Seed Oil, Salix Alba Extract, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Ascorbate, Disodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Cetearyl Isononanoate

Isoamyl Laurate

Coco-Caprylate

Bakuchiol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Stearate

Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides

Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate

Cetearyl Olivate

Retinyl Palmitate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Tocopherol

Sorbitan Olivate

Sclerotium Gum

Citric Acid

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Isoamyl Laurate, Coco-Caprylate, Bakuchiol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Cetearyl Olivate, Retinyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Olivate, Sclerotium Gum, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, 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.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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.

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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