Tula Skincare Glow Hour Brightening & Neutralizing Eye Balm Versus Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

Tula Skincare Glow Hour Brightening & Neutralizing Eye Balm Versus Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

This eye moisturizer is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Lactococcus Ferment Lysate to hydrate skin.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Propanediol

Water

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Mica

Sodium Stearate

Xylitol

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Trehalose

Oleth-20

Glycerin

Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract

Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract

Caffeine

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Fruit Extract

Cocos Nucifera Water

Fucus Vesiculosus Extract

Lactic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Gluconolactone

Citrus Grandis Seed Extract

Psidium Guajava Leaf Extract

Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Tocopherol

Calcium Gluconate

Sclerotium Gum

Menthone Glycerin Acetal

Menthyl Lactate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Sodium PCA

Xanthan Gum

Hexylene Glycol

Citric Acid

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Lactate

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Chloride

Phenoxyethanol

Diheptyl Succinate

Potassium Sorbate

CI 19140

CI 16035

CI 77891

Tin Oxide

Propanediol, Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Mica, Sodium Stearate, Xylitol, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Trehalose, Oleth-20, Glycerin, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Caffeine, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera Water, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Lactic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Gluconolactone, Citrus Grandis Seed Extract, Psidium Guajava Leaf Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Tocopherol, Calcium Gluconate, Sclerotium Gum, Menthone Glycerin Acetal, Menthyl Lactate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium PCA, Xanthan Gum, Hexylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Diheptyl Succinate, Potassium Sorbate, CI 19140, CI 16035, CI 77891, Tin Oxide

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Squalane

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetearyl Olivate

Jojoba Esters

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Panthenol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Cetyl Palmitate

Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Sorbitan Palmitate

Dunaliella Salina Extract

Astaxanthin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Panthenol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Palmitate, Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sorbitan Palmitate, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Astaxanthin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Citric Acid

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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