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The INKEY List SuperSolutions 10% Azelaic Serum Redness Relief Solution Versus Paula's Choice CellularYouth Longevity Serum

The INKEY List SuperSolutions 10% Azelaic Serum Redness Relief Solution Versus Paula's Choice CellularYouth Longevity Serum This calming serum is formulated around Azelaic Acid to calm redness and clear breakouts. This hydrating serum is formulated around Simm

The INKEY List SuperSolutions 10% Azelaic Serum Redness Relief Solution Versus Paula's Choice CellularYouth Longevity Serum

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

This hydrating serum is formulated around Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil and Bacillus Ferment to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Azelaic Acid

Propanediol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Phenoxyethanol

Acacia Senegal Gum

Xanthan Gum

Allantoin

Glycerin

Ethylhexylglycerin

Polysorbate 60

Sorbitan Isostearate

Maltodextrin

Sodium Hydroxide

Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract

Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract

Polylysine

Water, Azelaic Acid, Propanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Maltodextrin, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Polylysine

Triheptanoin

Methyl Gluceth-20

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Tridecyl Trimellitate

1,2-Hexanediol

Dimethicone

Taurine

Bacillus Ferment

Ganoderma Lucidum Stem Extract

Helianthus Annuus Sprout Extract

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2

Isomalt

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Hydroxyacetophenone

C9-12 Alkane

Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer

Glyceryl Behenate

Polyglyceryl-6 Octastearate

Sodium Phytate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Potassium Chloride

Synthetic Fluorphlogopite

Caprylyl Glycol

Citric Acid

Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer

Lecithin

Cyanocobalamin

Tin Oxide

CI 77491

CI 77891

Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Triheptanoin, Methyl Gluceth-20, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Maltodextrin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Taurine, Bacillus Ferment, Ganoderma Lucidum Stem Extract, Helianthus Annuus Sprout Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Isomalt, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, C9-12 Alkane, Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer, Glyceryl Behenate, Polyglyceryl-6 Octastearate, Sodium Phytate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Chloride, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Lecithin, Cyanocobalamin, Tin Oxide, CI 77491, CI 77891

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Acacia Senegal Gum has skin soothing, thickening, and formulation stabilizing properties. It comes from the Acacia tree that is native to sub-Saharan Africa.

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.

This is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.

It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.

Maltodextrin is a plant-derived carbohydrate made by breaking down starch (usually from corn, potato, or rice). In cosmetic formulas, it's a multitasking absorbent, emulsion stabilizer, and skin conditioner.

This ingredient is mostly used to stabilize emulsions and improve the powdery, non-greasy feel of products (like dry shampoos).

Safety-wise, this ingredient is pretty solid; it's even recognized as a food additive. Both animal and clinical studies found no adverse effects at the levels used in cosmetics.

Industry data shows this ingredient is used up to 45.7% in spray products and up to 33% in powder products.

Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.

Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.

In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.

Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.

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.

Sorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.

As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.

In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.

Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.

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.

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

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

01

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. 031,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
  4. 04It is a:
  5. 05Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  6. 06Emollient, helping to soften skin
  7. 07Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  8. 08Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
  9. 09Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
  10. 10Like 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.
  11. 11However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
  12. 12Due 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.
  13. 13In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
  14. 14While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
  15. 15Most 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.
  16. 16Rosacea 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.
  17. 17However, 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…
  18. 18Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
  19. 19The 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 …
  20. 20Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

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Comparison edit

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