Paula's Choice Shine Stopper Instant Matte Finish with Microsponge Technology Versus One/Size by Patrick Starrr Oil Sucker Extreme Mattifying Alkaline Primer

Paula's Choice Shine Stopper Instant Matte Finish with Microsponge Technology Versus One/Size by Patrick Starrr Oil Sucker Extreme Mattifying Alkaline Primer

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Methyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Dimethicone

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycerin

PEG-100 Stearate

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Glyceryl Stearate

Myristyl Myristate

Ceteareth-20

Xanthan Gum

Disodium EDTA

Benzyl Alcohol

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Methyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, PEG-100 Stearate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Glyceryl Stearate, Myristyl Myristate, Ceteareth-20, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Silicate

Caprylyl Glycol

Hexylene Glycol

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Silica Dimethyl Silylate

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Propanediol

Calcium Hydroxymethionine

3-Aminopropane Sulfonic Acid

Polysorbate 20

Hydroxyethylcellulose

CI 16035

CI 15985

Water, Sodium Silicate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Calcium Hydroxymethionine, 3-Aminopropane Sulfonic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, CI 16035, CI 15985, Disodium EDTA

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate is a type of silica. It comes from naturally occuring minerals such as silicate ores and clay.

Magnesium aluminum silicate is used for enhancing texture and as an absorbent. Due to its large molecular size, it is unable to be absorbed into the skin.

Like other types of silica, this ingredient can be used to thicken a product. As an absorbent, it may be used to absorb extra water or help prevent clumping.

Although “aluminum” in an ingredient name can raise red flags for some consumers, the form and usage context matter significantly. For typical topical applications, there is no substantial evidence of health risks - such as cancer, neurotoxicity, or systemic “aluminum overload.”

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.

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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