Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer Versus Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream

Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer Versus Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream

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

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Glycerin

Cocoglycerides

Squalane

Sodium Polyacrylate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide As

Ceramide Ns

Ceramide EOP

Sodium Hyaluronate

Adenosine

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil

Glyceryl Stearate

Caprylyl Glycol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Hexylene Glycol

Tocopherol

2,3-Butanediol

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium Phytate

Sodium PCA

Urea

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Trehalose

Polyquaternium-51

Triacetin

Cholesterol

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glycerin, Cocoglycerides, Squalane, Sodium Polyacrylate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Hexylene Glycol, Tocopherol, 2,3-Butanediol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Sodium PCA, Urea, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Trehalose, Polyquaternium-51, Triacetin, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol

Butylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Behenyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea

Stearic Acid

Betaine

Mannitol

C14-22 Alcohols

Palmitic Acid

Hydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea

Arachidyl Alcohol

Polyacrylate-13

C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside

Allantoin

Arachidyl Glucoside

Niacinamide

Glyceryl Caprylate

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Carbomer

Tromethamine

Dimethiconol

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer

Sorbitan Isostearate

Silica

Phytosphingosine

Sphingolipids

Arachidic Acid

Oleic Acid

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Squalane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Behenyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Stearic Acid, Betaine, Mannitol, C14-22 Alcohols, Palmitic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cholesterol, Polyacrylate-13, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Allantoin, Arachidyl Glucoside, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Dimethiconol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Silica, Phytosphingosine, Sphingolipids, Arachidic Acid, Tocopherol, Oleic Acid

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.

Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.

Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.

This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.

A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.

Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.

Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.

Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.

Cholesterol is a lipid that is naturally found in human skin and is one of the three key components of your skin barrier. In skincare, it is an emollient and barrier-repairing ingredient.

It works by fitting directly into the lipid layers of skin to help restore structure and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

This is a great ingredient for dry, compromised, or aging skin; our skin starts to produce less cholesterol with age.

Research shows cholesterol works best in combination with ceramides and fatty acids, the other two major components in your skin barrier.

Cholesterol is also a well-establish penetration enhancer and can help other actives absorb more effectively.

Cosmetic-grade cholesterol is usually derived from lanolin but plant and synthetic options also exist. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about their source of cholesterol.

Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.

As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.

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.

Hydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.

It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.

This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.

Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.

Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.

A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).

Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).

It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.

This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.

Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.

Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.

No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).

Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.

This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.

Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.

Read more about squalene with an "e".

Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.

The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.

Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.

A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.

The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

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.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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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