Tula Skincare Protect + Plump Firming & Hydrating Face Moisturizer Versus Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer

Tula Skincare Protect + Plump Firming & Hydrating Face Moisturizer Versus Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Lactococcus Ferment Lysate to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

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

Water

Squalane

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glycerin

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Isoamyl Laurate

Cetearyl Olivate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Pseudozyma Epicola/Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil/Olive Fruit Oil/Sunflower Seed Oil/(Angelica Gigas/Licorice/Lithospermum Erythrorhizon) Root Ferment Extract Filtrate

Sorbitan Olivate

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14

Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate

Honey

Phospholipids

Betaine

Niacinamide

Sodium Phytate

Sorbitol

Gluconolactone

Lactic Acid

Phosphatidylcholine

Sesamum Indicum Seed Extract

Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract

Dehydroacetic Acid

Docosahexaenoic Acid

Sphingolipids

Xanthan Gum

Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hyaluronic Acid

Eicosapentaenoic Acid

Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer

Caprylyl Glycol

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Tocopherol

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Calcium Gluconate

Glyceryl Caprylate

Polyvinyl Alcohol

Phenylpropanol

Phytosphingosine

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Lecithin

Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides

Phenoxyethanol

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Potassium Sorbate

Carbomer

Cetyl Palmitate

Propanediol

Sodium Chloride

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Sorbitan Palmitate

Cetyl Alcohol

Pentylene Glycol

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Benzoate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Isoamyl Laurate, Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Pseudozyma Epicola/Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil/Olive Fruit Oil/Sunflower Seed Oil/(Angelica Gigas/Licorice/Lithospermum Erythrorhizon) Root Ferment Extract Filtrate, Sorbitan Olivate, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Honey, Phospholipids, Betaine, Niacinamide, Sodium Phytate, Sorbitol, Gluconolactone, Lactic Acid, Phosphatidylcholine, Sesamum Indicum Seed Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Dehydroacetic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid, Sphingolipids, Xanthan Gum, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Tocopherol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Calcium Gluconate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Phenylpropanol, Phytosphingosine, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Lecithin, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Potassium Sorbate, Carbomer, Cetyl Palmitate, Propanediol, Sodium Chloride, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Sorbitan Palmitate, Cetyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin

Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Diheptyl Succinate

Isoeicosane

Allantoin

Bisabolol

Glycine Soja Sterols

Linoleic Acid

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

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Sorbitan Oleate

Cellulose Gum

Chitosan

1,2-Hexanediol

Citric Acid

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.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

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).

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.

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.

Phospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.

In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).

Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.

They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.

Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.

Some types of phospholipids include:

Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.

This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.

Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.

You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.

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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