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The INKEY List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum Versus Cos De BAHA AZ Azelaic Acid 10 Serum

The INKEY List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum Versus Cos De BAHA AZ Azelaic Acid 10 Serum This oil-control serum is formulated around Niacinamide to balance excess oil and refine the look of pores. This calming serum is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Niacin

The INKEY List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum Versus Cos De BAHA AZ Azelaic Acid 10 Serum

This oil-control serum is formulated around Niacinamide to balance excess oil and refine the look of pores.

This calming serum is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Niacinamide to calm redness and clear breakouts.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Niacinamide

Glycerin

Propanediol

Butylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Phospholipids

Squalane

Xanthan Gum

Glycine Soja Oil

Allantoin

Sodium Phytate

Polysorbate 60

Panthenol

Glycolipids

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Sorbitan Isostearate

Glycine Soja Sterols

Citric Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Disodium Phosphate

Sodium Phosphate

Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phospholipids, Squalane, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja Oil, Allantoin, Sodium Phytate, Polysorbate 60, Panthenol, Glycolipids, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glycine Soja Sterols, Citric Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate

Propylene Glycol

Azelaic Acid

Polysorbate 20

1,2-Hexanediol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Citrate

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Momordica Charantia Fruit Extract

Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract

Leontopodium Alpinum Extract

Water, Propylene Glycol, Azelaic Acid, Polysorbate 20, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Citrate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Momordica Charantia Fruit Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum 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.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

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.

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.

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

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer is a synthetically created polymer. It's used as a film-forming agent and used to thicken the consistency of products.
  4. 04Think of it as a supportive ingredient that helps your gel-creams feel silky, "cloud cream-like", and spread evenly without being greasy.
  5. 05The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it (along with 22 other acryloyldimethyltaurate polymers) and concluded it's:
  6. 06Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating it.
  7. 07Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
  8. 08Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
  9. 09Your 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.
  10. 10Aquaporin-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.
  11. 11This 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.
  12. 12Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
  13. 13Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
  14. 14Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
  15. 15It 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.
  16. 16On 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.
  17. 17Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
  18. 18You'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.
  19. 19Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
  20. 20Safety-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.
Source · skinsort.com
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Product index

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Comparison edit

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