Skin science article
Skintific 5X Ceramide Serum Versus Torriden Dive-In Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Skintific 5X Ceramide Serum Versus Torriden Dive-In Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Bifida Ferment Lysate and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness. This hydrating serum is formulated aro
Skintific 5X Ceramide Serum Versus Torriden Dive-In Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum
This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Bifida Ferment Lysate and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.
This hydrating serum is formulated around Panthenol and Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Methylpropanediol
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Glycerin
Niacinamide
Dimethicone
Pentylene Glycol
Dipropylene Glycol
Glycereth-26
Centella Asiatica Extract
Propylene Glycol
Maris Aqua
Ceramide NP
Panthenol
Ceramide Ns
Ceramide Ng
Ceramide As
Ceramide EOP
Ceramide AP
Sodium Hyaluronate
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
4-T-Butylcyclohexanol
Ubiquinone
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Isononyl Isononanoate
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Bisabolol
Ectoin
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Tocopherol
Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
1,2-Hexanediol
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Hydroxyacetophenone
Dimethiconol
Sodium Polyacrylate
Glucose
Water, Methylpropanediol, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Centella Asiatica Extract, Propylene Glycol, Maris Aqua, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide As, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide AP, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Ubiquinone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Bisabolol, Ectoin, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tocopherol, Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethiconol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Glucose
Butylene Glycol
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Allantoin
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
2,3-Butanediol
Trehalose
Betaine
Propanediol
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Madecassoside
Madecassic Acid
Beta-Glucan
Malachite Extract
Cholesterol
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Xanthan Gum
Tromethamine
Carbomer
Ethylhexylglycerin
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Ectoin, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, 2,3-Butanediol, Trehalose, Betaine, Propanediol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Madecassoside, Madecassic Acid, Ceramide NP, Beta-Glucan, Malachite Extract, Cholesterol, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa 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
Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Ectoin is a compound found naturally in some species of bacteria. It can be synthetically created for skincare use.
This ingredient is an osmolyte; Osmolytes help organisms survive osmotic shock (it protects them from extreme conditions). It does this by influencing the properties of biological fluids within cells.
When applied to the skin, ectoin helps bind water molecules to protect our skin. The water forms a sort of armor for the parts of our skin cells, enzymes, proteins, and more.
Besides this, ectoin has many uses in skincare:
A study from 2004 found ectoin to counteract the damage from UV-A exposure at different cell levels. It has also been shown to protect skin against both UV-A, UV-B rays, infrared light, and visible light.
Studies show ectoin to have dual-action pollution protection: first, it protects our skin from further pollution damage. Second, it helps repair damage from pollution.
In fact, ectoin has been shown to help with:
Fun fact: In the EU, ectoin is used in inhalation medication as an anti-pollution ingredient.
Ectoin is a highly stable ingredient. It has a wide pH range of 1-9. Light, oxygen, and temperature do not affect this ingredient.
The chemical name for this ingredient is Tetrahydromethylpyrimidine Carboxylic Acid.
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.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
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!