The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum Versus The Ordinary Balancing & Clarifying Serum

The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum Versus The Ordinary Balancing & Clarifying Serum

This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Ectoin and Panthenol to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This oil-control serum is formulated around Lactococcus Ferment Lysate and Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate to balance excess oil and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propanediol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Coconut Alkanes

Ectoin 2%

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Maltodextrin

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Panthenol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sclerotium Gum

Xanthan Gum

Glyceryl Stearate

Jojoba Esters

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium Citrate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax

Citric Acid

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Glycerin

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Triethyl Citrate

Pentylene Glycol

Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Ceramide NP

Hyaluronic Acid

Ceramide AP

Cholesterol

Phytosphingosine

Behenic Acid

Sodium Levulinate

Polyglycerin-3

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate

Ceramide EOP

Water, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coconut Alkanes, Ectoin 2%, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Maltodextrin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Panthenol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Esters, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Citrate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Citric Acid, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Glycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Triethyl Citrate, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Ceramide NP, Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide AP, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Behenic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Polyglycerin-3, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Ceramide EOP

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate

Carnitine

Acetyl Glucosamine

Sarcosine

Ectoin

Adenosine

Polylysine

Silanetriol

Isoceteth-20

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Sodium Chloride

Sodium Benzoate

Chlorphenesin

Water, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Propanediol, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Carnitine, Acetyl Glucosamine, Sarcosine, Ectoin, Adenosine, Polylysine, Silanetriol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Isoceteth-20, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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.

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

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.

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.

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%.

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.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Sclerotium Gum is a natural sugar-based fiber made by fermenting a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It's often used as the plant-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners like carbomer.

In skincare, it works as a thickener, gel former, and stabilizer that keeps heavy ingredients suspended so a product does not separate.

It is non-ionic and forms a triple helix in solution. This is just a fancy way of saying it builds a smooth, cushiony, and non-sticky gel that feels silkier than many other gums.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it is very sturdy and holds up across a wide pH range (~2-11). It's also good at resisting heat and hydrolysis.

Since it holds water at the skin surface, it can provide some light hydration as well.

Typical use levels are around 0.25-2%; formulators usually use 0.2-0.5% to thicken lotions and up to 2% for a firmer gel base.

This ingredient has been found safe in cosmetics with no meaningful evidence of skin sensitization.

Sodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.

Its main functions are to maintain the pH of a product and neutralize metal ions.

The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome; normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5).

Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.

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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