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PCA Skin Pigment Gel Versus SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF

PCA Skin Pigment Gel Versus SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF This brightening serum is formulated around Lactic Acid and Kojic Acid to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin. This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Ferulic A

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

PCA Skin Pigment Gel Versus SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF

This brightening serum is formulated around Lactic Acid and Kojic Acid to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.

This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Ferulic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Alcohol Denat.

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Lactic Acid

Butylene Glycol

Kojic Acid

Azelaic Acid

Alcohol

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Phenylethyl Resorcinol

BHT

Glutathione

Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract

Water, Alcohol Denat., Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Lactic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Kojic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenylethyl Resorcinol, BHT, Glutathione, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract

Dipropylene Glycol

Ascorbic Acid

Triethyl Citrate

Phloretin

Ferulic Acid

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Ascorbic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Phloretin, Ferulic Acid

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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.

Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.

The "denat" part just means "denatured"; common denaturants include Denatonium Benzoate, t-butyl alcohol, and Diethyl Phthalate. This step makes the alcohol undrinkable (and lets brand skip taxes related to beverage alcohol).

This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue to constrict pores and dry out your skin.

However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.

Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.

This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.

Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.

Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.

The rule of thumb is this ingredient will probably not affect your skin much if it is near the end of an ingredients list.

One thing to note: People with ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) deficiency may experience skin irritation from continued alcohol use. About 8% of the world's population have this deficiency.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has determined denatured alcohols to be safe for use in concentrations between 0.05% and 12% (depending on which denaturant is used).

Also...

This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.

The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.

Look for formulas that contain glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol if you want to offset any drying effect.

This ingredient will trip away your skin's natural oils/lipids that help it lock in moisture. This can worsen dryness, trigger eczema flare-ups, and aggravate rosacea.

Be sure to patch test any product with this ingredient if you have dry or sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea.

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.

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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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. 03This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
  4. 04Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
  5. 05In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
  6. 06Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
  7. 07Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
  8. 08While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
  9. 09This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
  10. 10This ingredient is also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.
  11. 11The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.
  12. 12A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.
  13. 13Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.
  14. 14It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.
  15. 15Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.
  16. 16Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.
  17. 17Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".
  18. 18Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).
  19. 19The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.
  20. 20Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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Product index

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