Paula's Choice Resist Perfectly Balanced Foaming Cleanser Versus Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Extra Gentle Face Wash

Paula's Choice Resist Perfectly Balanced Foaming Cleanser Versus Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Extra Gentle Face Wash Detailed comparison of Paula's Choice Resist Perfectly Balanced Foaming Cleanser versus Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Extra Gentle Face Wash. This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry. This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse while respecting your skin barrier. Water Sodium Lauroamphoacetate Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate Stearic Acid Glycerin Glycol Distearate Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Acrylates Copolymer Cetearyl Alcohol Sodium Hyaluronate Ceramide NP Ceramide AP Ceramide EOP Phytosphingosine Phospholipids Sphingolipids Lecithin Arginine Cholesterol Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract Disodium EDTA Sodium Chloride Sodium Hydroxide Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Xanthan Gum Carbomer Hexylene Glycol Phenoxyethanol Caprylyl Glycol Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glycol Distearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Lecithin, Arginine, Cholesterol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate Coco-Glucoside Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract Serine Threonine Decyl Glucoside Ethylhexylglycerin Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Coco-Glucoside, Glycol Distearate, Glycerin, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Xanthan Gum, Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Arginine, Serine, Threonine, Decyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin These ingredients are found in both products. Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount. Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources. It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy. Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces. A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks. Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis. One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies. Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne. Ceramide AP is is a skin-identical lipid that mimics what your skin already makes naturally. Ceramides help maintain epidermal integrity and barrier function. You'll often see this ingredient paired with other ceramides (like ceramide NP), cholesterol, or fatty acids because this combination best mimics the natural lipid mix your skin already has. The skin's ability to produce ceramides gets disrupted in skin conditions like eczema. This in turn weakens the skin barrier and applying ceramides topically has been shown to replenish what's been lost to restore barrier function. Most of the studies with Ceramide AP test it as part of a multi-ceramide complex; studies reinforce ceramide AP's role in rebalancing ceramides in skin and improving skin hydration. Ceramide EOP is formally known as Ceramide 1. It is naturally found in skin and part of the intercellular "mortar" holding everything together in your outermost layer. EOP stands for a linked Ester fatty acid, a linked Omega hydroxy fatty acid, and the Phytosphingosine base. What makes Ceramide EOP special is its ultra-long fatty acid chain; this unique structure allows it to bridge the lipid layers in your skin barrier to prevent water loss (something no other ceramide can do). Low levels of Ceramide EOP have been found in people with eczema and psoriasis. Using it together with other ceramides, cholesterol, and linoleic acid have been shown to meaningfully improve hydration and reduce water loss. In one clinical study, a regimen using Ceramide EOP, NP, and AP led to significant symptom improvements in patients with eczema, psoriasis, and dry skin in just 4 weeks. You'll usually see concentrations between 0.1-