Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Toner for Normal to Dry Skin Versus Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky Toner

Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief Toner for Normal to Dry Skin Versus Paula's Choice Calm Nourishing Milky Toner

This calming toner is formulated around Allantoin and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate to calm redness and hydrate skin.

This calming toner is formulated around Panthenol and Allantoin to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Cyclopentasiloxane

Glycereth-26

Allantoin

Genistein

Carnosine

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Dimethiconol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Oleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Palmitic Acid

Linoleic Acid

Phospholipids

Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Polysorbate 20

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Xanthan Gum

Laureth-4

Laureth-23

Sodium Hydroxide

Butylene Glycol

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycereth-26, Allantoin, Genistein, Carnosine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Polysorbate 20, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Laureth-4, Laureth-23, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Pentylene Glycol

Propanediol

C13-15 Alkane

Panthenol

Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate

Ceteth-20 Phosphate

Sodium PCA

Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Dicetyl Phosphate

Maltodextrin

Althaea Officinalis Root Extract

Sodium Phytate

Pantolactone

Water, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, C13-15 Alkane, Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate, Ceteth-20 Phosphate, Sodium PCA, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Pantolactone, Phenoxyethanol

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

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.

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.

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.

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