SkinBetter Science Mystro Active Balance Serum Versus Paula's Choice Resist Super Antioxidant Serum

SkinBetter Science Mystro Active Balance Serum Versus Paula's Choice Resist Super Antioxidant Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Astaxanthin to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Copaifera Officinalis Resin

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Propanediol

Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate

Isosorbide Dicaprylate

Cetearyl Glucoside

Ethoxydiglycol

Diheptyl Succinate

Squalane

Niacinamide

Panax Notoginseng Root Extract

Theobroma Cacao Leaf Cell Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract

Echinacea Purpurea Extract

Sophora Japonica Bud Extract

Humulus Lupulus Extract

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract

Astaxanthin

Ergothioneine

Thioctic Acid

Sorbitan Olivate

Tocopherol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Tribehenin

Cetearyl Alcohol

Acacia Senegal Gum

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenethyl Alcohol

Phenoxyethanol

Citric Acid

Phytic Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Copaifera Officinalis Resin, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Ethoxydiglycol, Diheptyl Succinate, Squalane, Niacinamide, Panax Notoginseng Root Extract, Theobroma Cacao Leaf Cell Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Sophora Japonica Bud Extract, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Astaxanthin, Ergothioneine, Thioctic Acid, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Tribehenin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Phytic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide

Cyclopentasiloxane

Dimethicone

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Ceramide NP

Tocotrienols

Ubiquinone

Tocopheryl Acetate

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Ferulic Acid

Beta-Glucan

Superoxide Dismutase

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Glutathione

Xanthophylls

Glycine Soja Seed Extract

Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract

Lupinus Albus Seed Extract

Curcuma Longa Root

Elaeis Guineensis Oil

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Ceramide NP, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol, Ubiquinone, Thioctic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ferulic Acid, Beta-Glucan, Superoxide Dismutase, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Ergothioneine, Glutathione, Xanthophylls, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Glycerin, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Curcuma Longa Root, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Phenoxyethanol

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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.

Ergothioneine is an amino acid found naturally in mushrooms, grains, and meat. It has antioxidant and skin soothing properties.

This amino acid helps with:

Maintaining DNA stability and cell reproduction

Enhances cellular immunity

Skin brightening

Anti-aging

Skin soothing

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.

Thioctic Acid is an enzyme and antioxidant. A more common name for this is Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Alpha Lipoic Acid can be naturally found in the mitochondria of every cell.

Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. The antioxidants in Alpha Lipoic Acid have been shown to fight damage from cigarette smoke.

Studies also show Alpha Lipoic Acid plays a role in wound healing.

Thioctic Acid will break down when exposed to sunlight.

Many foods contain thioctic acid, including tomato, brussel sprouts, spinach, and broccoli.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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