Sungboon Editor Alaska Salmon PDRN Ultra Moisturizing Barrier Cream Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

Sungboon Editor Alaska Salmon PDRN Ultra Moisturizing Barrier Cream Versus First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Sodium DNA to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Colloidal Oatmeal and Squalane to calm redness and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil

Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2

Diglycerin

Niacinamide

Octyldodecanol

Pentylene Glycol

Trehalose

1,2-Hexanediol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sodium DNA

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Potassium Hyaluronate

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide Ns

Ceramide AP

Ceramide As

Ceramide EOP

Panthenol

Allantoin

Ascorbic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Ectoin

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Tocopherol

Copernicia Cerifera Wax

Caprylyl Methicone

Cetearyl Olivate

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Polyglyceryl-10 Behenate/Eicosadioate

Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate

Sorbitan Olivate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Aminomethyl Propanediol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Palmitic Acid

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Adenosine

Propanediol

Sodium Phytate

Stearic Acid

Sodium Polyacrylate

C12-13 Alketh-9

Cholesterol

Phytosphingosine

Glyceryl Caprylate

C12-16 Alcohols

Xanthan Gum

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Diglycerin, Niacinamide, Octyldodecanol, Pentylene Glycol, Trehalose, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium DNA, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Ceramide EOP, Panthenol, Allantoin, Ascorbic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Ectoin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Caprylyl Methicone, Cetearyl Olivate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-10 Behenate/Eicosadioate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Palmitic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Propanediol, Sodium Phytate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, C12-13 Alketh-9, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Glyceryl Caprylate, C12-16 Alcohols, Xanthan Gum

Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Glyceryl Stearate

Dimethicone

Squalane

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Hydroxide

Tetrasodium EDTA

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%, Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Ceramide NP, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

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.

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.

Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).

Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.

While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

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.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

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.

Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.

In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:

Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

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.

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