Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops Versus Biossance Squalane + Firm And Lift Dual Serum

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops Versus Biossance Squalane + Firm And Lift Dual Serum

This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract to brighten dull-looking skin.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Squalane and Ectoin to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propanediol

Glycereth-26

Glycerin

Niacinamide

2,3-Butanediol

1,2-Hexanediol

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Eclipta Prostrata Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate

Tromethamine

Glyceryl Stearate

Carbomer

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Xanthan Gum

Polyquaternium-51

Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil

Parfum

Benzyl Benzoate

Water, Propanediol, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, Niacinamide, 2,3-Butanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Stearate, Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Polyquaternium-51, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate

Squalane

Sodium Benzoate

Ectoin

Potassium Sorbate

Phenoxyethanol

Bisabolol

Citric Acid

Sodium Gluconate

Leucojum Aestivum Bulb Extract

Acmella Oleracea Extract

Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil

Melia Azadirachta Extract

Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ectoin, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Bisabolol, Propanediol, Citric Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Leucojum Aestivum Bulb Extract, Acmella Oleracea Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil

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.

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.

Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil is a lightweight oil from the seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree. In cosmetics, it's an emollient that forms a light film to slow water loss and soften skin.

Its fatty acid composition is dominated by oleic acid (70-78%), with smaller amounts of behenic, palmitic, and stearic acids (this profile is actually pretty similar to olive oil).

Notably, this ingredient is oxidatively stable for an oil and resists going rancid as fast as other oils.

A small, in vivo study on 32 participants found a cream with this ingredient increased skin hydration with no reported skin irritation. It also found the tocopherol content gave it some antioxidant activity as well.

One thing to flag for fungal acne: Because this oil is so high in oleic acid, Malassezia can use it as a food source and this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

For everyone else, this ingredient is well-tolerated and nourishing with a good safety track record.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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.

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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