cyrene Skin Rescue Moisturiser Versus Biologique Recherche Emulsion Gel Biosensible S.R. Soothing and Sebo-Regulating Gel for the Face

cyrene Skin Rescue Moisturiser Versus Biologique Recherche Emulsion Gel Biosensible S.R. Soothing and Sebo-Regulating Gel for the Face

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract to calm redness and balance excess oil.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Dipropylheptyl Carbonate

Squalane

Sodium Polyacrylate

Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Niacinamide

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Polysorbate 20

Xanthan Gum

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Panthenol

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Phytosphingosine

Cholesterol

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Carbomer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dipropylheptyl Carbonate, Squalane, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polysorbate 20, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin

Isocetyl Stearate

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Propylene Glycol

Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract

Biosaccharide Gum-2

Pvp

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Tannic Acid

Rhizobian Gum

Alteromonas Ferment Extract

Citric Acid

Chlorphenesin

Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract

Terminalia Catappa Leaf Extract

Maltodextrin

Orthosiphon Stamineus Extract

Tocopherol

Oleanolic Acid

Acetyl Hexapeptide-49

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Squalane, Isocetyl Stearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Propylene Glycol, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Biosaccharide Gum-2, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pvp, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Tannic Acid, Rhizobian Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Chlorphenesin, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Terminalia Catappa Leaf Extract, Maltodextrin, Orthosiphon Stamineus Extract, Tocopherol, Oleanolic Acid, Acetyl Hexapeptide-49

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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.

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.

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.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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.

Sodium Polyacrylate is the sodium salt of polyacrylic acid. It is used as an absorber, emollient, and stabilizer.

This ingredient is a super-absorbent polymer - meaning it can absorb 100 to 1000 times its mass in water. As an emollient, Sodium Polyacrylate helps soften and soothe skin. Emollients work by creating a barrier to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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