Trader Joe's Night Cream Versus Trader Joe's Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer

Trader Joe's Night Cream Versus Trader Joe's Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer

This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Saccharide Isomerate and Squalane to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Cetyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Glyceryl Stearate

PEG-100 Stearate

Caprylic Acid

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Glycine Soja Sterols

Helichrysum Italicum Extract

Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil

Bacillus

Cordyceps Sinensis Extract

Ganoderma Lucidum Extract

Inonotus Obliquus Extract

Lentinus Edodes Extract

Phellinus Linteus Ferment Filtrate

Schizophyllum Commune Mycelium

Tricholoma Matsutake Mycelium Ferment Extract

Lactobacillus Ferment

Lactobacillus

Centella Asiatica Extract

Gleditsia Australis Thorn Extract

Houttuynia Cordata Extract

Phellodendron Amurense Bark

Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract

Prunella Vulgaris

Torilis Japonica Extract

Rice Ferment Filtrate

Saccharomyces Lysate

Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis Extract Ferment Filtrate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Phenoxyethanol

Bisabolol

Xylitylglucoside

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Anhydroxylitol

Pentylene Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caffeine

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Xanthan Gum

Butylene Glycol

Xylitol

Phospholipids

Sodium Hydroxide

Disodium EDTA

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Sphingolipids

Linoleic Acid

Acetic Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Caprylic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Helichrysum Italicum Extract, Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Bacillus, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Lentinus Edodes Extract, Phellinus Linteus Ferment Filtrate, Schizophyllum Commune Mycelium, Tricholoma Matsutake Mycelium Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus, Centella Asiatica Extract, Gleditsia Australis Thorn Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Phellodendron Amurense Bark, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Prunella Vulgaris, Torilis Japonica Extract, Rice Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces Lysate, Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis Extract Ferment Filtrate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Bisabolol, Xylitylglucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Anhydroxylitol, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caffeine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Xylitol, Phospholipids, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sphingolipids, Linoleic Acid, Acetic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Saccharide Isomerate

Propanediol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Polyamide-5

Dimethicone

Hydroxyacetophenone

Polysilicone-11

Squalane

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Laureth-12

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Tocopherol

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Silybum Marianum Extract

Betula Alba Leaf Extract

Beta-Sitosterol

Panthenol

Squalene

Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract

Citric Acid

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Sodium Citrate

Water, Glycerin, Saccharide Isomerate, Propanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyamide-5, Dimethicone, Hydroxyacetophenone, Polysilicone-11, Squalane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Laureth-12, Cetearyl Olivate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lactobacillus Ferment, Tocopherol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Silybum Marianum Extract, Betula Alba Leaf Extract, Beta-Sitosterol, Panthenol, Squalene, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Citrate

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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.

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.

Glyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.

It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.

The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.

The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.

Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.

One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).

This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.

On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.

This ingredient is made when the Lactobacillus bacteria (the same kind that makes yogurt and kimchi) are allowed to ferment a nutrient medium.

As it ferments, it collects lactic acid, peptides, enzymes, and other bioactive metabolites to provide:

A 2023 review noted that probiotic fermentation ingredients like this one can enhance antioxidant capacity, reduce UV-induced oxidative damage, and support barrier function.

One clinical study from the same year showed a Lactobacillus ferment lysate significantly reduced transepidermal water loss and improved skin hydration.

Another review highlighted that topical Lactobacillus-based preparations can improve ceramide levels in the stratum corneum, support barrier integrity, and even help reduce S. aureus colonization in atopic dermatitis.

Why is this so cool?

Basically, your skin's outer layer works as a brick wall; skin cells are bricks and ceramides are the mortar holding it together. Moisture escapes, irritants get in, and your skin gets dry and reactive when ceramide levels drop. On top of that, "bad" skin bacteria S. aureus loves to move in when your barrier is weak to make inflammation and irritation worse.

So Lactobacillus ferment is basically patching the wall and evicting the troublemaker when it boosts ceramide production and help keep S. aureus in check.

On top of all this, it also acts as a mild antimicrobial preservative booster.

Just so you know, most studies focus on specific strains or the lysate form rather than this generic "Lactobacillus Ferment", so results can vary.

Though it's a promising ingredient, it doesn't have decades of robust clinical data behind it just yet.

Lactobacillus Ferment is generally considered safe for fungal-acne prone skin. The key thing to understand is that it comes from bacteria, not yeast or fungus.

Yeast-derived ferments (like galactomyces) have been shown to activate a protein that's linked to Malassezia-related skin issues whereas lactobacillus doesn't have that problem.

Its byproducts also don't contain the types of fatty acids (C11-24 chain lengths) that Malassezia feeds on.

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.

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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