Skin science article
Paula's Choice Daily Replenishing Body Cream Versus Necessaire The Body Lotion
Paula's Choice Daily Replenishing Body Cream Versus Necessaire The Body Lotion What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Water Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil Cetyl Alcohol Stearyl Alcohol Glycerin Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extra
Paula's Choice Daily Replenishing Body Cream Versus Necessaire The Body Lotion
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Cetyl Alcohol
Stearyl Alcohol
Glycerin
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Butylene Glycol
Glyceryl Stearate
PEG-100 Stearate
Dimethicone
Persea Gratissima Oil
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Ceramide AP
Ceramide NP
Ceramide EOP
Squalane
Cholesterol
Allantoin
Tocopherol
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
Epilobium Angustifolium Extract
Hydrolyzed Acacia Macrostachya Seed Extract
Phytosphingosine
Myristoyl Tripeptide-31
Lecithin
Panthenol
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Lactic Acid
Cyclohexasiloxane
Cyclopentasiloxane
Cellulose Gum
Maltodextrin
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Sodium Hydroxide
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Xanthan Gum
Carbomer
Behenyl Alcohol
Myristyl Alcohol
Lauryl Alcohol
Arachidyl Alcohol
Phenoxyethanol
Benzoic Acid
Dehydroacetic Acid
Water, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Persea Gratissima Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ceramide AP, Ceramide NP, Ceramide EOP, Squalane, Cholesterol, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Hydrolyzed Acacia Macrostachya Seed Extract, Phytosphingosine, Myristoyl Tripeptide-31, Lecithin, Panthenol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Lactic Acid, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cellulose Gum, Maltodextrin, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Behenyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Lauryl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
Shea Butter Glycerides
Niacinamide
Cetearyl Olivate
Cetearyl Alcohol
Sorbitan Olivate
Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine
Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Caryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Linoleic Acid
Linolenic Acid
Propanediol
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Caprylyl Glycol
T-Butyl Alcohol
Oleic Acid
Palmitic Acid
Stearic Acid
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Shea Butter Glycerides, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Caryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Propanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, T-Butyl Alcohol, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid
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.
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.
Jojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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!