Paula's Choice Resist Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum Versus Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench® Hyaluronic Glow Serum

Paula's Choice Resist Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum Versus Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench® Hyaluronic Glow Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Resveratrol and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and calm redness.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Lactic Acid to hydrate skin and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cyclopentasiloxane

Butylene Glycol

Dimethicone

Glycerin

Polysorbate 20

Polysilicone-11

Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Hyaluronic Acid

Resveratrol

Niacinamide

Quercetin

Adenosine

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Tocopherol

Phospholipids

Ubiquinone

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Sea Whip Extract

Bisabolol

Beta-Glucan

Phytic Acid

Xanthan Gum

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Sodium Hydroxide

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Polysilicone-11, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Hyaluronic Acid, Resveratrol, Niacinamide, Quercetin, Adenosine, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Phospholipids, Ubiquinone, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Sea Whip Extract, Bisabolol, Beta-Glucan, Phytic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

Isostearyl Neopentanoate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Lactic Acid

Sphingolipids

Amylopectin

Carbomer

Potassium Sorbate

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Lecithin

Sodium Benzoate

Malachite Extract

Lithothamnion Calcareum Extract

Sodium Citrate

Pentylene Glycol

Isostearyl Alcohol

Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate

CI 42090

Water, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactic Acid, Sphingolipids, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Amylopectin, Phospholipids, Carbomer, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate, Malachite Extract, Lithothamnion Calcareum Extract, Sodium Citrate, Pentylene Glycol, Isostearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Dimethicone, CI 42090, 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.

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.

As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.

It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.

A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

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.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The 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 to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Phospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.

In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).

Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.

They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.

Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.

Some types of phospholipids include:

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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