SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Versus PCA Skin Collagen Hydrator

SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Versus PCA Skin Collagen Hydrator

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Cholesterol and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and soften the look of wrinkles.

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dimethicone

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Glycerin

Cholesterol

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Ceramide NP

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables

Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane

Sodium Polyacrylate

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Nylon-12

Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer

Phenoxyethanol

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Chlorphenesin

Caprylyl Glycol

PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone

Propylene Carbonate

Disodium EDTA

Acrylonitrile/Methyl Methacrylate/Vinylidene Chloride Copolymer

Adenosine

Dipropylene Glycol

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil

T-Butyl Alcohol

Mentha Piperita Oil

Sodium Citrate

Linalool

Isobutane

Ceramide EOP

BHT

Tocopherol

Limonene

Water, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Cholesterol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ceramide NP, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Sodium Polyacrylate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Nylon-12, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Propylene Carbonate, Disodium EDTA, Acrylonitrile/Methyl Methacrylate/Vinylidene Chloride Copolymer, Adenosine, Dipropylene Glycol, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, T-Butyl Alcohol, Mentha Piperita Oil, Sodium Citrate, Linalool, Isobutane, Ceramide EOP, BHT, Tocopherol, Limonene

Glyceryl Stearate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Isopropyl Palmitate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Cyclopentasiloxane

Cetyl Alcohol

Polysorbate 60

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Allantoin

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Ethylhexylglycerin

Glycol Distearate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium PCA

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Sodium Hydroxide

Tetrasodium EDTA

Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycol Distearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

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.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

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.

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons