Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Pad Versus Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream

Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Pad Versus Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream This hydrating toner pad uses a pre-saturated pad with Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice and Panthenol to hydrate skin and calm redness. This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated

Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Pad Versus Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream

This hydrating toner pad uses a pre-saturated pad with Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice and Panthenol to hydrate skin and calm redness.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Panax Ginseng Root Water and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dipropylene Glycol

Glycerin

Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

Xylitol

Glucose

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Panthenol

Glyceryl Glucoside

Glyceryl Caprylate

Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Ascorbic Acid

Allantoin

1,2-Hexanediol

Arginine

Hexylene Glycol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Disodium EDTA

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Glucose, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Glyceryl Caprylate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Allantoin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Arginine, Hexylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer

Oryza Sativa Bran Water

Panax Ginseng Root Water

Hydrogenated Polydecene

Niacinamide

Squalane

Butylene Glycol

Propanediol

Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Tromethamine

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil

Hydrogenated Coconut Oil

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Adenosine

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Honey Extract

Ceramide NP

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Coptis Japonica Root Extract

Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract

Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract

Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract

Phellinus Linteus Extract

Dextrin

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Water, Oryza Sativa Bran Water, Glycerin, Panax Ginseng Root Water, Hydrogenated Polydecene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Disodium EDTA, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Honey Extract, Ceramide NP, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Dextrin, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.

Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.

The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.

The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.

A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.

It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.

Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.

Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.

Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.

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:

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!

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.

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Side-by-side

  1. 01Water
  2. 02Propanediol
  3. 03Glycerin
  4. 04Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
  5. 05Betaine
  6. 06Behenyl Alcohol
  7. 07Ceramide AP
  8. 081,2-Hexanediol
  9. 09Carbomer
  10. 10Tromethamine
  11. 11Jojoba Esters
  12. 12Arachidyl Alcohol
  13. 13Glyceryl Caprylate
  14. 14Butylene Glycol
  15. 15Ethylhexylglycerin
  16. 16Disodium EDTA
  17. 17Arachidyl Glucoside
  18. 18Mentha Arvensis Leaf Extract
  19. 19Parfum
  20. 20Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

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Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side