Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Antioxidant Enriched Natural Moisturizer Versus Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel

Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Antioxidant Enriched Natural Moisturizer Versus Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Invisible Finish Moisture Gel

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Borago Officinalis Seed Oil and Sodium Hyaluronate to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This pore-care moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Avena Sativa Kernel Extract to refine the look of pores and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter

Glycerin

Vitis Vinifera

Canola Oil

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Unsaponifiables

Benzyl Alcohol

Propanediol

Borago Officinalis Seed Oil

Oenothera Biennis Oil

Sodium Hyaluronate

Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract

Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract

Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract

Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Tocopherol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Thermus Thermophillus Ferment

Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Arginine

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Valine

Proline

Threonine

Isoleucine

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Aspartic Acid

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Carrageenan

Sodium Lactate

Sodium PCA

Silica

Xanthan Gum

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Caprylyl Glycol

Glyceryl Stearate

PCA

Phenoxyethanol

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera, Canola Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Unsaponifiables, Benzyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Carrageenan, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Silica, Xanthan Gum, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PCA, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

Cyclopentasiloxane

Butylene Glycol

Bis-Phenylpropyl Dimethicone

Niacinamide

Laminaria Saccharina Extract

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil

Tocopheryl Acetate

Phenyl Trimethicone

Dimethicone

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Phospholipids

Superoxide Dismutase

Isohexadecane

Panthenol

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Sodium Carbomer

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Polysorbate 80

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Bis-Phenylpropyl Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phospholipids, Superoxide Dismutase, Isohexadecane, Panthenol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Carbomer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polysorbate 80, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

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.

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!

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