Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Repairing Serum Versus Herbivore Green Magic Cica + Ceramides Redness-Reducing Serum

Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Repairing Serum Versus Herbivore Green Magic Cica + Ceramides Redness-Reducing Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Beta-Glucan and Ceramide NP to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

This calming serum is formulated around Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract and Ceramide NP to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Hyaluronic Acid

Beta-Glucan

Sea Whip Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Cholesterol

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Phytosphingosine

Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Flower Extract

Glycine Soja Seed Extract

Ubiquinone

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Magnesium Aspartate

Potassium Aspartate

Sarcosine

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Polysorbate 20

PEG/PPG-14/4 Dimethicone

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Beta-Glucan, Sea Whip Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Cholesterol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Phytosphingosine, Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Flower Extract, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Ubiquinone, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Magnesium Aspartate, Potassium Aspartate, Sarcosine, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, PEG/PPG-14/4 Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Propanediol

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Cetyl Stearate

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil

PCA

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Arginine

Glutamic Acid

Lysine Hcl

Threonine

Sodium PCA

Sodium Lactate

Proline

Betaine

Glycosphingolipids

Tetraacetylphytosphingosine

Pinus Cembra Wood Extract

Phaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract

Allantoin

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil

Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil

Borago Officinalis Seed Oil

Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Squalane

Cetearyl Alcohol

Coco-Glucoside

1,2-Hexanediol

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

C9-12 Alkane

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Tocopheryl Acetate

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Linoleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Lecithin

Glyceryl Stearate

Sodium Ascorbate

Stearic Acid

Tocopherol

Pentylene Glycol

Alcohol

Water, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetyl Stearate, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Arginine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Proline, Betaine, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Glycosphingolipids, Tetraacetylphytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Pinus Cembra Wood Extract, Phaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract, Allantoin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, C9-12 Alkane, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hyaluronic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Lecithin, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Ascorbate, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol, Pentylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

Ceramide AP is is a skin-identical lipid that mimics what your skin already makes naturally. Ceramides help maintain epidermal integrity and barrier function.

You'll often see this ingredient paired with other ceramides (like ceramide NP), cholesterol, or fatty acids because this combination best mimics the natural lipid mix your skin already has.

The skin's ability to produce ceramides gets disrupted in skin conditions like eczema. This in turn weakens the skin barrier and applying ceramides topically has been shown to replenish what's been lost to restore barrier function.

Most of the studies with Ceramide AP test it as part of a multi-ceramide complex; studies reinforce ceramide AP's role in rebalancing ceramides in skin and improving skin hydration.

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.

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.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.

Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.

The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.

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

This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.

The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.

A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

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!

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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