Paula's Choice Clinical Ultra-Rich Moisturizer Versus Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief SPF 30 Mineral Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin

Paula's Choice Clinical Ultra-Rich Moisturizer Versus Paula's Choice Calm Redness Relief SPF 30 Mineral Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Unsaponifiables and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Avena Sativa Kernel Extract and Allantoin to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Unsaponifiables

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Dimethicone

Stearic Acid

Glyceryl Stearate

Mangifera Indica Seed Butter

Cetyl Alcohol

Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Sphingolipids

Phospholipids

Phytosphingosine

Squalene

Cholesterol

Tocopherol

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Persea Gratissima Oil

Glycine Soja Oil

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Glycerin

Panthenol

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Beta-Sitosterol

Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides Citrate

Propylene Glycol

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Unsaponifiables, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sphingolipids, Phospholipids, Phytosphingosine, Squalene, Cholesterol, Tocopherol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Glycerin, Panthenol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Sitosterol, Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides Citrate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Titanium Dioxide 3.85%

Zinc Oxide 3.12%

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Isononyl Isononanoate

Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

Cyclopentasiloxane

PEG-100 Stearate

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycine Soja Sterols

Vp/Eicosene Copolymer

Sodium Hyaluronate

Allantoin

Tocopheryl Acetate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Superoxide Dismutase

Ubiquinone

Ceramide Ng

Methicone

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Tribehenin

PEG-10 Phytosterol

Sorbitan Stearate

Polyhydroxystearic Acid

Alumina

Polysorbate 20

Aluminum Stearate

Caprylyl Glycol

Chlorphenesin

Titanium Dioxide 3.85%, Zinc Oxide 3.12%, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Glycine Soja Sterols, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Superoxide Dismutase, Ubiquinone, Ceramide Ng, Methicone, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tribehenin, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Sorbitan Stearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Alumina, Polysorbate 20, Aluminum Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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.

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract is is derived from colloidal oatmeal. Besides being a healthy breakfast, oats have many benefits in skincare too.

This ingredient helps sooth, hydrate, and protect the skin. The starches in colloidal oatmeal are able to bind water, keeping the skin hydrated.

The cellulose and fiber in colloidal oatmeal help reduce inflammation. This can also help the skin feel softer.

Colloidal Oatmeal is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect our skin from free-radical damage.

Oatmeal also contains beneficial compounds:

This ingredient is created by mixing grounded oatmeal and a liquid base.

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%.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

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.

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.

Similar Comparisons