Biossance Squalane + Ectoin Overnight Rescue Deep Repair Night Cream Versus Biossance Squalane + Growth Factor Firming Moisturizer

Biossance Squalane + Ectoin Overnight Rescue Deep Repair Night Cream Versus Biossance Squalane + Growth Factor Firming Moisturizer

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

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Squalane

Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

C12-16 Alcohols

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Ectoin

Jojoba Esters

Palmitic Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Lecithin

Magnesium Chloride

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium Gluconate

Caprylyl Glycol

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C12-16 Alcohols, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Ectoin, Jojoba Esters, Palmitic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Lecithin, Magnesium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Gluconate, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Propanediol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sodium Polyacrylate

Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate

Butylene Glycol

Undecane

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Diheptyl Succinate

Tridecane

Tocopherol

Sodium PCA

Sodium Lactate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Arginine

Aspartic Acid

PCA

Sodium Benzoate

Potassium Sorbate

Algin

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Sodium Hyaluronate

Valine

Isoleucine

Proline

Pseudostellaria Heterophylla Extract

Threonine

1,2-Hexanediol

Beta-Glucan

Calcium Citrate

Collagen

Mannose

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Sodium Hydroxide

Glucose

Hexapeptide-9

Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76

Water, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Propanediol, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Undecane, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Diheptyl Succinate, Tridecane, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Gluconate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Algin, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Pseudostellaria Heterophylla Extract, Threonine, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Beta-Glucan, Calcium Citrate, Collagen, Mannose, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Sodium Hydroxide, Glucose, Hexapeptide-9, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76

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.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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.

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.

This is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.

It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.

Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.

Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.

Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).

It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.

This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.

Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.

Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.

No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).

Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.

This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.

Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.

Read more about squalene with an "e".

Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.

The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.

Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.

A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.

The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.

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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