Tarte SEA Mermaid Skin Hyaluronic H2O Serum Versus Tarte SEA Deep Sea Collagen Super Serum

Tarte SEA Mermaid Skin Hyaluronic H2O Serum Versus Tarte SEA Deep Sea Collagen Super Serum

This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil and Laminaria Digitata Extract to hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Sodium Hyaluronate

Disodium EDTA

Sodium Nitrate

Algae Extract

Calcium Pantothenate

Glycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Nitrate, Algae Extract, Calcium Pantothenate, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Coconut Alkanes

Isopropyl Myristate

Shea Butter Ethyl Esters

Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate

Isododecane

Persea Gratissima Oil

Cocos Nucifera Oil

Camellia Japonica Seed Oil

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Pentylene Glycol

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil

Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract

Laminaria Digitata Extract

Sea Water Extract

Spirulina Maxima Extract

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Hydroxyacetophenone

Collagen Amino Acids

Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed

Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract

Limonene

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract

Ethylhexylglycerin

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Linalool

Gluconolactone

Sodium Benzoate

Arginine

Potassium Sorbate

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Tocopherol

Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract

Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Citric Acid

Water, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Coconut Alkanes, Isopropyl Myristate, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Glycerin, Isododecane, Persea Gratissima Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Sea Water Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Collagen Amino Acids, Algae Extract, Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed, Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract, Limonene, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Linalool, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate, Arginine, Potassium Sorbate, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Tocopherol, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Citric Acid

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Algae Extract is one of the vaguest names on any label because it just means "extract of some alga" (and there are thousands of species and dozens of ways to extract them). This just means two products listing it can contain completely different things.

This ingredient name was actually officially retired in the INCI dictionary in 2015 and brands were pushed toward species-specific names instead (like Laminaria Digitata Extract or Chondrus Crispus Extract).

Generally, it is used to hold water and soften skin in a formula. Algae are rich in polysaccharides, pigments, and amino-acids that act as humectants, emollients, and skin-conditioning agents.

It isn't on standard cosmetic-patch test panels and "seaweed dermatitis" is actually an acute irritant reaction to algal toxins in seawater and not the cosmetic ingredient.

You'll see algae listed as a 5/5 on a lot of pore-clogging charts and that number doesn't come from anywhere; it's not in the original rabbit-ear studies that most comedogenic ratings trace back to.

The reasoning behind the reputation is that seaweed is high in iodine and iodine can trigger acne-like breakouts when eaten. This traces back to a 1976 letter in Archives of Dermatology describing two women whose breakouts cleared after they stopped taking high-dose kelp supplements orally.

And the reaction of these two women wasn't clogged pores at all: it was an iodine-triggered pustular rash. Later research found normal dietary iodine doesn't meaningfully affect acne either and nobody has shown topical algae delivers enough iodine to matter.

What we do have is dozens of brown and red algae ingredients found to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and a handful of studies that found algae compounds may actually help acne.

However, plenty of people do report breaking out from algae-containing products. Skin is individual and it's worth avoiding if yours has reacted to algae before.

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.

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.

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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