PCA Skin Smoothing Toner Versus Murad Hydrating Toner

PCA Skin Smoothing Toner Versus Murad Hydrating Toner

This smoothing toner is formulated around Lactic Acid and Citric Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

This hydrating toner is formulated around Urea to hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Lactic Acid

Citric Acid

Glycerin

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Hydrastis Canadensis Extract

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Arctium Lappa Root Extract

Paullinia Cupana Seed Extract

Hedera Helix Leaf/Stem Extract

Tetrasodium EDTA

Water, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrastis Canadensis Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Paullinia Cupana Seed Extract, Hedera Helix Leaf/Stem Extract, Tetrasodium EDTA

Butylene Glycol

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Urea

Yeast Amino Acids

Trehalose

Inositol

Taurine

Betaine

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Prunus Persica Fruit Extract

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract

Sodium PCA

Lecithin

Tocopherol

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

PEG-12 Dimethicone

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Sodium Citrate

Disodium EDTA

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Chlorphenesin

Sodium Benzoate

Benzyl Salicylate

Geraniol

Linalool

Citronellol

Parfum

CI 15510

CI 14700

Water, Butylene Glycol, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Prunus Persica Fruit Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Sodium PCA, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, PEG-12 Dimethicone, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellol, Parfum, CI 15510, CI 14700

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

This extract comes from cucumber. Cucumbers are mostly made up of water (95%), and the other 5% is composed of: vitamin C, caffeic acid, fatty acids, amino acids, and other minerals.

Cucumbers have anti-inflammatory, barrier repair, and hydrating properties.

They contain shikimate dehydrigenase, an enzyme shown to help reduce inflammation and soothe the skin.

The amino acids found in cucumbers help nourish our skin's natural acid mantle (it's an important part of our skin barrier). This slightly acidic film acts as a barrier to protect us from bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants.

Unless you have an allergy to cucumbers, this is generally a non-irritating ingredient.

Fun fact: Cucumis Sativus is native to South Asia and can now be found on every continent.

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!

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