Collagen & Peptide NutritionNutrition and collagen guides

Nutrition guide

e.l.f. cosmetics Holy Hydration! Hydro-Gel Moisturizer Versus Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Moisturizer (Fragrance Free)

e.l.f. cosmetics Holy Hydration! Hydro-Gel Moisturizer Versus Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Moisturizer (Fragrance Free) This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate sk

e.l.f. cosmetics Holy Hydration! Hydro-Gel Moisturizer Versus Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Moisturizer (Fragrance Free)

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Panthenol to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Butylene Glycol

Phenyl Trimethicone

Diisostearyl Malate

Jojoba Esters

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Ceramide EOP

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

Phenoxyethanol

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Lecithin

Xylitol

Tromethamine

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Xanthan Gum

Disodium EDTA

Saccharide Isomerate

Sodium Citrate

Citric Acid

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Carbomer

Phytosphingosine

Polysorbate 20

Cholesterol

Geraniol

Linalool

Parfum

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Diisostearyl Malate, Jojoba Esters, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ceramide EOP, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Lecithin, Xylitol, Tromethamine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Phytosphingosine, Polysorbate 20, Cholesterol, Geraniol, Linalool, Parfum

Niacinamide

Isohexadecane

Dimethicone

Isopropyl Isostearate

Stearyl Alcohol

Polyacrylamide

Panthenol

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract

Tapioca Starch

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Dimethiconol

Laureth-7

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Palmitic Acid

Stearic Acid

Cetyl Alcohol

Behenyl Alcohol

PEG-100 Stearate

Titanium Dioxide

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

1,2-Hexanediol

Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Isostearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, Panthenol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Tapioca Starch, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethiconol, Laureth-7, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, PEG-100 Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol

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.

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).

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons

SUPPLEMENTAL FIELD FILE

Notes to carry forward.

Source-derived references linked through this guide’s public topic markers.

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REFERENCE CARDS

Ingredients, lists & structured values

INGREDIENT LIST

Ingredients Explained

  • These ingredients are found in both products.
  • Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  • 1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
  • It is a:
  • Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  • Emollient, helping to soften skin
  • Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  • Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
  • Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
  • Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
  • It plays several roles in a formula:
  • Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
  • Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
  • However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
  • Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
  • Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
  • Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
  • This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
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PROVISION SHELF

Products & side-by-side records