Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Purely Natural Refreshing Toner Versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner

Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Purely Natural Refreshing Toner Versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner

This hydrating toner is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract to hydrate skin and calm redness.

This barrier-repair toner is formulated around Oenothera Biennis Oil and Borago Officinalis Seed Oil to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Punica Granatum Extract

Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract

Peucedanum Graveolens Extract

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil

Arginine

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Valine

Proline

Threonine

Isoleucine

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Aspartic Acid

Sodium PCA

Sodium Lactate

PCA

Xanthan Gum

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Benzyl Alcohol

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Peucedanum Graveolens Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, PCA, Xanthan Gum, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol

Cyclopentasiloxane

Butylene Glycol

Glycereth-26

Dimethiconol

Oenothera Biennis Oil

Borago Officinalis Seed Oil

Tocopheryl Acetate

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Panthenol

Allantoin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Niacinamide

Superoxide Dismutase

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Myristamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate

Laureth-4

Laureth-23

Disodium EDTA

Sodium Benzoate

Chlorphenesin

Benzoic Acid

Sorbic Acid

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Dimethiconol, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Superoxide Dismutase, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Myristamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Laureth-4, Laureth-23, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid

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.

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.

Hydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.

It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.

This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.

Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.

Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.

A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).

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.

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!

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