Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar SPF 30 Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar SPF 30 Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

This smoothing day moisturizer is formulated around Glycolic Acid and Mandelic Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Colloidal Oatmeal and Squalane to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.7%

Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 6.99%

Octocrylene 2%

Water

Carthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Methyl Gluceth-20

Glycolic Acid

Polyacrylamide

Cyclopentasiloxane

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Cyclohexasiloxane

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Hydroxide

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Cetyl Alcohol

Polysorbate 80

Laureth-7

Citric Acid

Parfum

CI 77163

Mandelic Acid

Tocopheryl Acetate

Disodium EDTA

Synthetic Fluorphlogopite

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Propanediol

Gluconic Acid

Adenosine

Sodium Benzoate

BHT

Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract

Sodium Bicarbonate

Yeast Extract

Magnesium Stearate

Opuntia Coccinellifera Flower Extract

Silica Dimethyl Silylate

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hyaluronic Acid

Silanetriol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sorbic Acid

Hexylene Glycol

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.7%, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 6.99%, Octocrylene 2%, Water, Carthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glycolic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Cetyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 80, Laureth-7, Citric Acid, Parfum, CI 77163, Mandelic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Propanediol, Gluconic Acid, Adenosine, Sodium Benzoate, BHT, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Sodium Bicarbonate, Yeast Extract, Magnesium Stearate, Opuntia Coccinellifera Flower Extract, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Silanetriol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbic Acid, Hexylene Glycol

Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%

Stearic Acid

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Glyceryl Stearate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Squalane

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Xanthan Gum

Allantoin

Tetrasodium EDTA

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Ceramide NP

Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%, Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Ceramide NP, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.

In cosmetics, it plays several roles:

The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.

This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.

It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.

Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.

This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.

Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.

Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.

The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).

In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.

So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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.

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!

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