Youth To The People Superfood Air Whip Moisture Cream Versus The INKEY List Omega Water Cream

Youth To The People Superfood Air Whip Moisture Cream Versus The INKEY List Omega Water Cream

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and balance excess oil.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate

Pentylene Glycol

Betaine

Squalane

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Extract

Medicago Sativa Extract

Sarcosine

Spinacia Oleracea

Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract

Copper PCA

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydroxyacetophenone

Menthoxypropanediol

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hydroxide

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Panthenol

Tocopherol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Carbomer

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Citric Acid

Glycine Soja Oil

Limonene

Chlorphenesin

Phenoxyethanol

Parfum

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Pentylene Glycol, Betaine, Squalane, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Sarcosine, Spinacia Oleracea, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Copper PCA, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Menthoxypropanediol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Limonene, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Niacinamide

Propanediol

Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Magnesium Sulfate

Glycosphingolipids

Glycolipids

Sodium Benzoate

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Oleic Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Polyglycerin-3

Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Betaine, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Magnesium Sulfate, Glycosphingolipids, Glycolipids, Sodium Benzoate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Oleic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Polyglycerin-3

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.

Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.

Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.

Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.

Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.

Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.

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.

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.

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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