La Prairie White Caviar Crème Extraordinaire Versus Biologique Recherche Crème PIGM 400 Brightening and Pigment Spot-Correcting Face Cream

La Prairie White Caviar Crème Extraordinaire Versus Biologique Recherche Crème PIGM 400 Brightening and Pigment Spot-Correcting Face Cream

This brightening moisturizer is formulated around Glycoproteins and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Tridecyl Stearate

Cyclopentasiloxane

Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer

Isododecane

Petrolatum

Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone

Sorbitan Tristearate

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Dimethicone

Glycoproteins

Panax Ginseng Root

Equisetum Arvense Juice

Caprylic Acid

Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-5

Larix Sibirica Wood Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract

Nelumbo Nucifera Germ

Jasminum Officinale Oil

Boswellia Serrata Gum Extract

Proline

Hydroxyproline

Glycine

Isooctanoyl Tetrapeptide-25

Resveratrol

Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract

Centella Asiatica Extract

Thalassiosira Pseudonana Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Honey

Tuber Magnatum Extract

Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide

Vitis Vinifera Vine Extract

Tocopheryl Acetate

Retinyl Palmitate

Acrylates Copolymer

PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether

Polymethyl Methacrylate

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetearyl Olivate

Lecithin

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides

Tricaprylin

Sodium Chloride

Caprylyl Glycol

Stearyl Alcohol

Cetyl Alcohol

Sorbitan Stearate

Tocopherol

PEG-40 Stearate

Polysilicone-11

Propylene Glycol

Dimethicone/Divinyldimethicone/Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer

Hexylene Glycol

Isohexadecane

Polysorbate 80

Sorbitan Palmitate

Cetyl Palmitate

Disodium EDTA

Glyceryl Caprylate

Polysorbate 20

Glyceryl Stearate

Palmitic Acid

Behenyl Alcohol

Dextran

Stearic Acid

Polyisobutene

Stearoxymethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer

Carbomer

Sorbitol

Xanthan Gum

Parfum

Linalool

Citronellol

Geraniol

Limonene

Eugenol

Benzyl Benzoate

Benzyl Salicylate

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Benzoate

PEG-7

Trimethylolpropane

Water, Glycerin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Tridecyl Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Isododecane, Petrolatum, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Sorbitan Tristearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Glycoproteins, Panax Ginseng Root, Equisetum Arvense Juice, Caprylic Acid, Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-5, Larix Sibirica Wood Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Germ, Jasminum Officinale Oil, Boswellia Serrata Gum Extract, Proline, Hydroxyproline, Glycine, Isooctanoyl Tetrapeptide-25, Resveratrol, Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Thalassiosira Pseudonana Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Honey, Tuber Magnatum Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Vitis Vinifera Vine Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Acrylates Copolymer, PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Lecithin, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Tricaprylin, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Stearate, Tocopherol, PEG-40 Stearate, Polysilicone-11, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Divinyldimethicone/Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Hexylene Glycol, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Palmitate, Cetyl Palmitate, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Stearate, Palmitic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Dextran, Stearic Acid, Polyisobutene, Stearoxymethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Carbomer, Sorbitol, Xanthan Gum, Parfum, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Eugenol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, PEG-7, Trimethylolpropane

Coco-Caprylate

Butylene Glycol

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Pentylene Glycol

Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract

Mica

Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica

Soy Isoflavones

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Biosaccharide Gum-4

Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate

Vibrio Alginolyticus Ferment Filtrate

Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate

Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol

Titanium Dioxide

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Alcohol Denat.

Water, Coco-Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Mica, Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica, Soy Isoflavones, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate, Vibrio Alginolyticus Ferment Filtrate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Lecithin, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Polysorbate 80, Alcohol Denat., Phenoxyethanol

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.

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.

Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:

It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.

We don't have a description for Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract yet.

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.

Polysorbate 80 is a synthetic surfactant and emulsifier derived from sorbitol and oleic acid.

It reduces the surface tension between oil and water phases to help them stay mixed and stable in a formulation. In other words, it prevents your formulas from separating into an oily mess.

The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the scientific data and found this ingredient to be safe, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing at concentrations up to 5% (it's even approved by the FDA as an OTC eye drop ingredient).

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!

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