Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

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!

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. 03Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
  4. 04Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
  5. 05Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
  6. 06Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
  7. 07Despite 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.
  8. 08It plays several roles in a formula:
  9. 09Typical 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.
  10. 10Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
  11. 11However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
  12. 12Cetearyl 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.
  13. 13Here'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.
  14. 14Remember 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.
  15. 15This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
  16. 16A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
  17. 17We don't have a description for Chrysin yet.
  18. 18Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
  19. 19The 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 …
  20. 20Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

Read side by side