Paula's Choice Hydralight Moisture Infusing Lotion Versus Paula's Choice Rehydrating Moisture Mask

Paula's Choice Hydralight Moisture Infusing Lotion Versus Paula's Choice Rehydrating Moisture Mask

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Avena Sativa Kernel Extract to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This wash off mask is made with Borago Officinalis Seed Oil and Oenothera Biennis Oil for a rinse-off hydration boost.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate

Cyclopentasiloxane

Butylene Glycol

Dimethicone

Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2

Propylene Glycol Isoceteth-3 Acetate

Squalane

Glyceryl Stearate

PEG-100 Stearate

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Cetyl Alcohol

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Cholesterol

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Punica Granatum Extract

Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Glycerin

Superoxide Dismutase

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Sodium PCA

Phytosphingosine

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Xanthan Gum

Laureth-4

Laureth-23

Sodium Hydroxide

Phenoxyethanol

Chlorphenesin

Benzoic Acid

Sorbic Acid

Water, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Propylene Glycol Isoceteth-3 Acetate, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Cetyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cholesterol, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Superoxide Dismutase, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sodium PCA, Phytosphingosine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Laureth-4, Laureth-23, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid

Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Propanediol

Polyglyceryl-3 Rice Branate

Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate

Borago Officinalis Seed Oil

Oenothera Biennis Oil

Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

Algae Extract

Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract

Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Linoleic Acid

Phospholipids

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Allantoin

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Tocopherol

Arginine

Aspartic Acid

PCA

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Hectorite

Palmitic Acid

Sclerotium Gum

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Caprylyl Glycol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Glycine Soja Sterols

Valine

Isoleucine

Proline

Threonine

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Sodium Lactate

Sodium Citrate

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

Xylitol

Water, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-3 Rice Branate, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Algae Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allantoin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium PCA, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, PCA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Hectorite, Palmitic Acid, Sclerotium Gum, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glycine Soja Sterols, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Citrate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

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.

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.

Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate is a lightweight synthetic emollient that also helps improve how a product feels and spreads.

In a formula, it's a workhorse that:

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics and found to be a non-ocular (eye) irritant at 100% in rabbits.

Usage levels vary depending on product type; industry surveys report it around 2.2% in baby products, 19.5% in hair sprays, and 1-20% in skincare.

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.

Sodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.

Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.

As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.

There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.

Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.

It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.

Sorbic Acid is a preservative that stops your product from spoiling by stopping microbes from growing.

As a preservative, it's kind of a specialist: it has a broad spectrum of activity against yeast and molds but is weaker against bacteria. That's why it's often paired with another preservative to cover that gap.

This ingredient is also pretty picky about pH; it performs best at pH 6.5 or below.

At the right pH level, sorbic acid is "active" and can slip through the outer wall of a microbe. Once inside, it turns the cell's interior more acidic to shut down the microbe from the inside.

The EU caps this ingredient at 0.6% while the CIR has concluded it's safe at concentrations up to 1%. It's most often used around 0.05-0.2% in cosmetics.

Though this ingredient is considered low-sensitizing and well-tolerated, a very small number of people may have a contact allergy to it. Be sure to patch test if you have a history of allergies towards preservatives.

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THD) is a stable and oil-soluble form of Vitamin C.

THD is special in that it has the ability to travel deeper into skin than traditional ascorbic acid while maintaining the same skin benefits (double win!).

Because it’s oil-soluble, THD dives deep into your skin’s fatty layers (think ceramides and cholesterol) to fight off the kind of free radicals that mess with your skin barrier. This makes it a great pair with water-based vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that mainly works on the surface.

Even at just 0.1%, THD is already showing great antioxidant activity. When used up to 2%, it helps keep your skin happy and calm, especially when it’s stressed from pollution or sun.

Want to fade dark spots or tackle hyperpigmentation? You’ll want 5% or more. Pairing it with brightening buddies like niacinamide or licorice root gives even better results. One study even used 30% THD with other brighteners and saw real results on stubborn discoloration, even in melasma-prone skin.

A note on THD: It’s has a slightly silky, oily texture and usually shows up colorless or pale yellow (though the exact shade can vary by supplier).

While you can sneak it into water-based formulas, it really shines when paired with silicones or oils, which help your skin soak it up better.

THD is pretty stable, but it’s still vulnerable to degradation like ascorbic acid. Too much light or heat (above 113°F / 45°C) can break it down over time. Go for dark and opaque packaging that keeps it safe and shady!

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.

Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.

It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.

One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.

Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.

Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.

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.

Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.

The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.

Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.

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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