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Paula's Choice Oil-Absorbing Mask Versus Paula's Choice Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser

Paula's Choice Oil-Absorbing Mask Versus Paula's Choice Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser This wash off mask is made with Kaolin and Bentonite for a rinse-off oil-control boost. What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Water Kao

Paula's Choice Oil-Absorbing Mask Versus Paula's Choice Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser

This wash off mask is made with Kaolin and Bentonite for a rinse-off oil-control boost.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Kaolin

Bentonite

Glycerin

Salix Alba Extract

Stearic Acid

Steareth-2

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

Sea Whip Extract

Colloidal Oatmeal

Bisabolol

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Phospholipids

Panthenol

Retinyl Palmitate

Caprylyl Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Disodium EDTA

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Kaolin, Bentonite, Glycerin, Salix Alba Extract, Stearic Acid, Steareth-2, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Sea Whip Extract, Colloidal Oatmeal, Bisabolol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phospholipids, Panthenol, Retinyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Sodium PCA

Sodium Lactate

Glycine

Fructose

Urea

Niacinamide

Inositol

Lactic Acid

Allantoin

Sodium Hyaluronate

PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate

Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate

Xanthan Gum

Triethanolamine

Carbomer

Benzophenone-3

Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate

Propylparaben

Methylparaben

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Glycine, Fructose, Urea, Niacinamide, Inositol, Lactic Acid, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Xanthan Gum, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Benzophenone-3, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Sodium Benzoate

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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.

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.

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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. 03Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
  4. 04Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
  5. 05Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
  6. 06It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
  7. 07Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
  8. 08This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
  9. 09Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
  10. 10Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
  11. 11Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
  12. 12Its main roles are:
  13. 13Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
  14. 14The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
  15. 15This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
  16. 16Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
  17. 17What it does:
  18. 18Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
  19. 19Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
  20. 20Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
Source · skinsort.com
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Product index

Related product references

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Comparison edit

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