Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer Versus Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream Moisturizer

Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer Versus Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream Moisturizer

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Honey Extract to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

C13-15 Alkane

Cetearyl Alcohol

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

1,2-Hexanediol

Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-1

Diisostearyl Malate

Xylitylglucoside

Honey Extract

Betaine

Panthenol

Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables

Ceramide NP

Propolis Extract

Royal Jelly Extract

Tocopherol

Ficus Carica Fruit Extract

Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil

Glucose

Bisabolol

Xylitol

Anhydroxylitol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Triolein

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Arginine

Aroma

Hydroxyacetophenone

Xanthan Gum

Glyceryl Dioleate

Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine

Sodium Phytate

Sorbitan Isostearate

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C13-15 Alkane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-1, Diisostearyl Malate, Xylitylglucoside, Honey Extract, Betaine, Panthenol, Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Ceramide NP, Propolis Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Tocopherol, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Glucose, Bisabolol, Xylitol, Anhydroxylitol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Triolein, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Arginine, Aroma, Hydroxyacetophenone, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Dioleate, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Sodium Phytate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

Propanediol

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Pentylene Glycol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Glycine

Serine

Glutamic Acid

Aspartic Acid

Leucine

Alanine

Lysine

Tyrosine

Phenylalanine

Proline

Threonine

Valine

Isoleucine

Histidine

Ascorbic Acid

Saccharide Isomerate

Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract

Tocopheryl Acetate

Hexapeptide-11

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment

Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment

Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment

Butylene Glycol

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Glyceryl Caprylate

Sucrose Stearate

Lecithin

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Sodium Citrate

Carbomer

Sodium Hydroxide

Lactobacillus Ferment

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

CI 77491

Water, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Ascorbic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Ceramide NP, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Hexapeptide-11, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sucrose Stearate, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Citrate, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactobacillus Ferment, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, CI 77491

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.

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 NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.

Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.

This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.

A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.

Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.

Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.

Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

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.

Hydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.

As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.

Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.

This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.

You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.

Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.

An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.

So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.

Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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.

Similar Comparisons