Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Versus Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer

Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Versus Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer

This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Camellia Sinensis Leaf and Ceramide Ng to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Ceramide Ag and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dimethicone

Diglycerin

Camellia Sinensis Leaf

Glycerin

Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone

Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate

Butylene Glycol

Diisostearyl Malate

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Propanediol

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract

Indigofera Tinctoria Leaf Extract

Ceramide Ng

Palmitic Acid

Linoleic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate

Polygonum Tinctorium Leaf/Stem Extract

Cetyl Alcohol

Sucrose Stearate

Sucrose Palmitate

Maltodextrin

Sargassum Vulgare Extract

Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate

Hydrolyzed Lagenaria Siceraria Fruit Juice

Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract

Tocopherol

Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Magnesium Sulfate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Phytosterols

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Mica

CI 77891

Water, Dimethicone, Diglycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf, Glycerin, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Diisostearyl Malate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Propanediol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Indigofera Tinctoria Leaf Extract, Ceramide Ng, Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polygonum Tinctorium Leaf/Stem Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Sucrose Stearate, Sucrose Palmitate, Maltodextrin, Sargassum Vulgare Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Lagenaria Siceraria Fruit Juice, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract, Tocopherol, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Phytosterols, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, CI 77891

2,3-Butanediol

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Glyceryl Stearate

Cocoglycerides

Ceramide Ag

Ceramide NP

Hydroxyacetophenone

Ceramide EOP

Ceramide AP

Adenosine

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Hexylene Glycol

Trehalose

Cholesterol

Squalane

Sodium Phytate

Urea

Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium PCA

Polyquaternium-51

Triacetin

Sodium Polyacrylate

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Water, 2,3-Butanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocoglycerides, Ceramide Ag, Ceramide NP, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide AP, Adenosine, Tocopherol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Hexylene Glycol, Trehalose, Cholesterol, Squalane, Sodium Phytate, Urea, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium PCA, Polyquaternium-51, Triacetin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ethylhexylglycerin

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.

Ceramide NG is a type of Ceramide. The NG stands for a sphinganine base.

Ceramides are intercellular lipids naturally found in our skin that bonds dead skin cells together to create a barrier. They are known for their ability to hold water and thus are a great ingredient for dry skin.

Ceramides are an important building block for our skin barrier. A stronger barrier helps the skin look more firm and hydrated. By bolstering the skin ceramides act as a barrier against irritating ingredients. This can help with inflammation as well.

If you would like to eat ceramides, sweet potatoes contain a small amount.

Read more about other common types of ceramides here: Ceramide AP Ceramide EOP Ceramide NP

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Hydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.

It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.

This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.

Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.

Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.

A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).

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.

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.

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!

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