Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer Versus Dime Beauty Restorative Night Cream

Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer Versus Dime Beauty Restorative Night Cream

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

This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil and Squalane to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

2,3-Butanediol

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Glycerin

Glyceryl Stearate

Cocoglycerides

Ceramide Ag

Ceramide NP

Hydroxyacetophenone

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ceramide EOP

Ceramide Ng

Ceramide AP

Adenosine

Tocopherol

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Hexylene Glycol

Trehalose

Cholesterol

Squalane

Sodium Phytate

Urea

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium PCA

Polyquaternium-51

Triacetin

Sodium Polyacrylate

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Ethylhexylglycerin

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

Cetearyl Alcohol

Ethylhexyl Olivate

Isononyl Isononanoate

Pentylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Behenyl Alcohol

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Carbomer

Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil

Olea Europaea Fruit Unsaponifiables

Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Linoleic Acid

Phospholipids

Phytosterols

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Glycolipids

Glycine Max Seed Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Behenyl Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Squalane, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Unsaponifiables, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Phytosterols, Ceramide NP, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycolipids, Glycine Max Seed Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

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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.

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.

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.

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 is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Hydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.

As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.

Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.

This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.

You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.

Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.

An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.

So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.

Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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.

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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