Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment Versus Rovectin Cica Care Sleeping Pack

Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment Versus Rovectin Cica Care Sleeping Pack This pore-care treatment is formulated around Niacinamide and Acetyl Glucosamine to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture. This calming night moisturizer is fo

Paula's Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment Versus Rovectin Cica Care Sleeping Pack

This pore-care treatment is formulated around Niacinamide and Acetyl Glucosamine to refine the look of pores and refine skin texture.

This calming night moisturizer is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Panthenol to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Niacinamide 20%

Pentylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Acetyl Glucosamine

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Spiraea Ulmaria Extract

Portulaca Oleracea Extract

Camellia Japonica Flower Extract

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Allantoin

Lecithin

Pullulan

Panthenol

Silica

Xanthan Gum

Sclerotium Gum

Propanediol

Sodium Phytate

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Niacinamide 20%, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Acetyl Glucosamine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Lecithin, Pullulan, Panthenol, Silica, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Propanediol, Sodium Phytate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Dipropylene Glycol

Trehalose

Betaine

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Centella Asiatica Extract

Protease

Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Glyceryl Polyacrylate

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Saussurea Involucrata Extract

Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract

Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract

Tropolone

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Hydrogenated Polydecene

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Trideceth-10

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

1,2-Hexanediol

Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract

Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract

Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Oil

Bioflavonoids

Geranium Maculatum Oil

Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Trehalose, Betaine, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Protease, Panthenol, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Propanediol, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Saussurea Involucrata Extract, Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Tropolone, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Trideceth-10, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Oil, Bioflavonoids, Geranium Maculatum Oil

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.

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.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

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.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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.

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
  4. 04Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
  5. 05It plays several roles in a formula:
  6. 06Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
  7. 07Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
  8. 08However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
  9. 09Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
  10. 10Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
  11. 11Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
  12. 12This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
  13. 13A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
  14. 14Cetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.
  15. 15Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.
  16. 16Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.
  17. 17Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
  18. 18Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
  19. 19Its main roles are:
  20. 20Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

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03

Comparison edit

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