Skin science article
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench® Hyaluronic Glow Serum Versus Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench® Hyaluronic Glow Serum Versus Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Serum This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Lactic Acid to hydrate skin and brighten dull-looking skin. This hydrating serum is formu
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench® Hyaluronic Glow Serum Versus Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Serum
This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Lactic Acid to hydrate skin and brighten dull-looking skin.
This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate and Sodium Hyaluronate to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
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
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
Propanediol
Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract
Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Acacia Seyal Gum Extract
Sr-Spider Polypeptide-1
Pantothenic Acid
Spirulina Platensis Extract
Raphanus Sativus Root Extract
Caprylyl Glycol
Chlorphenesin
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
Propylene Glycol
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
1,2-Hexanediol
Citric Acid
Hydroxyacetophenone
Carrageenan
Sodium Glycolate
Sodium Formate
Parfum
Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract, Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Acacia Seyal Gum Extract, Sr-Spider Polypeptide-1, Pantothenic Acid, Phospholipids, Sodium Hydroxide, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Raphanus Sativus Root Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Potassium Sorbate, Propylene Glycol, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carrageenan, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Glycolate, Sodium Formate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
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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.
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.
Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
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:
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
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.
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.