Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Ingredient or product comparison

No7 Pure Retinol 0.3% Retinol Night Concentrate Versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

No7 Pure Retinol 0.3% Retinol Night Concentrate Versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster Detailed comparison of No7 Pure Retinol 0.3% Retinol Night Concentrate versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster. This anti-aging treatment is formulated around

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No7 Pure Retinol 0.3% Retinol Night Concentrate Versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster Detailed comparison of No7 Pure Retinol 0.3% Retinol Night Concentrate versus Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster. This anti-aging treatment is formulated around Retinol and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This calming treatment is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Salicylic Acid to calm redness and fade the look of dark spots. Water Glycerin Butylene Glycol Dimethicone Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate Phenoxyethanol Polysorbate 20 Xanthan Gum Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer Dimethiconol Retinol Bisabolol Inulin Lauryl Carbamate Caprylyl Glycol Sorbitan Laurate Potassium Hydroxide Ethylhexylglycerin Carbomer Tetrasodium EDTA Behentrimonium Chloride Sucrose Laurate Hydroxyethylcellulose Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester Benzoic Acid Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Retinol, Bisabolol, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbitan Laurate, Potassium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Behentrimonium Chloride, Sucrose Laurate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Benzoic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 Azelaic Acid Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate Cetearyl Alcohol Glyceryl Stearate Salicylic Acid Adenosine Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract Allantoin Cyclopentasiloxane Sclerotium Gum Propanediol Water, Azelaic Acid, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Salicylic Acid, Adenosine, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol Be the first to review These ingredients are found in both products. Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount. Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient. It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation. A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin. In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum. You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%. Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin. Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons: Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients. Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness. C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long. In cosmetics, it plays several roles: The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility. This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product. It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own. Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated. This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid. Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food. Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing. The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well). In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond. So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes p