Puca – Pure & Care Serum Oil-Cocktail Hyaluronic Acid Versus Puca – Pure & Care Collagen Serum

Puca – Pure & Care Serum Oil-Cocktail Hyaluronic Acid Versus Puca – Pure & Care Collagen Serum

This hydrating serum is formulated around Squalane and 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate to hydrate skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Butyrospermum Parkii Oil

Glycerin

Propylene Glycol

Squalane

Panthenol

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Tocopheryl Acetate

Butylene Glycol

Saccharide Isomerate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

Hexylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables

Xylitol

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Extract

Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Centella Asiatica Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

CI 42090

Sodium Hydroxide

CI 19140

Ethylhexylglycerin

Cellulose Gum

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Squalane, Panthenol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, Xylitol, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, CI 42090, Sodium Hydroxide, CI 19140, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cellulose Gum

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Corn Gluten Amino Acids

Dipropylene Glycol

Morus Alba Root Extract

Sodium Polyacrylate

Silk Extract

Glycosphingolipids

Portulaca Oleracea Extract

Euglena Gracilis Polysaccharide

Potassium Sorbate

Propanediol

Beta-Glucan

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract

Water, Butylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Corn Gluten Amino Acids, Dipropylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Morus Alba Root Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Silk Extract, Glycosphingolipids, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Euglena Gracilis Polysaccharide, Glycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Propanediol, Beta-Glucan, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

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.

Hexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.

It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.

As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.

Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.

This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.

A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.

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 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.

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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