Tata Harper Clarifying Moisturizer Versus Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer

Tata Harper Clarifying Moisturizer Versus Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer

This oil-control moisturizer is formulated around Salix Alba Bark Extract to balance excess oil.

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Hordeum Vulgare Leaf Juice

Mel

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil

Glycerin

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Water

Propanediol

C13-14 Alkane

Avena Sativa Kernel Oil

Nigella Sativa Seed Oil

Pyrus Malus Seed Oil

Santalum Spicatum Seed Oil

Squalane

Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract

Saccharide Isomerate

Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract

Salix Alba Bark Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Arnica Montana Extract

Borago Officinalis Leaf Extract

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Medicago Sativa Extract

Spiraea Ulmaria Extract

Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract

Saccharomyces Ferment

Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate

Caprylyl Glycol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Lysolecithin

Sclerotium Gum

Glyceryl Caprylate

Xanthan Gum

Lauroyl Lysine

Tocopherol

Sodium Phytate

Pullulan

Phenethyl Alcohol

Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil

Ocimum Basilicum Oil

Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Alcohol

Cymbopogon Flexuosus Oil

Lactic Acid

Ferula Galbaniflua Gum Extract

Limonene

Linalool

Citral

Geraniol

Farnesol

Citronellol

Hordeum Vulgare Leaf Juice, Mel, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Water, Propanediol, C13-14 Alkane, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Pyrus Malus Seed Oil, Santalum Spicatum Seed Oil, Squalane, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Arnica Montana Extract, Borago Officinalis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Lysolecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Xanthan Gum, Lauroyl Lysine, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Pullulan, Phenethyl Alcohol, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Alcohol, Cymbopogon Flexuosus Oil, Lactic Acid, Ferula Galbaniflua Gum Extract, Limonene, Linalool, Citral, Geraniol, Farnesol, Citronellol

Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Phenoxyethanol

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Lecithin

Diheptyl Succinate

Isoeicosane

Allantoin

Bisabolol

Glycine Soja Sterols

Linoleic Acid

Phospholipids

Hansenula/Kloeckera/Lactobacillus/Lactococcus/Leuconostoc/Pediococcus/Saccharomyces/Fig/Lemon Ferment

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Sorbitan Oleate

Cellulose Gum

Chitosan

1,2-Hexanediol

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Lecithin, Caprylyl Glycol, Diheptyl Succinate, Isoeicosane, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Sodium Phytate, Glycine Soja Sterols, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Hansenula/Kloeckera/Lactobacillus/Lactococcus/Leuconostoc/Pediococcus/Saccharomyces/Fig/Lemon Ferment, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Sorbitan Oleate, Cellulose Gum, Chitosan, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate

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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.

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).

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.

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 Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.

Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.

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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