PoreWise Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
5 shared ingredients · Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster 22 ingredients · The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 6 ingredients
Where the two ingredient lists differ
Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster · 22
- ACETYL GLUCOSAMINE
- ASCORBYL GLUCOSIDE
- BUTYLENE GLYCOL
- Phospholipids
- Sodium hyaluronate
- ALLANTOIN
- Boerhavia diffusa root extract
- GLYCERIN
- DIPOTASSIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE
- Licorice root extract
- Epigallocatechin gallate
- Beta-glucan
- PANTHENOL
- CARNOSINE
- Genistein
- CITRIC ACID
- Sodium Citrate
- SODIUM HYDROXIDE
- ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN
- POLYSORBATE 20
- TRISODIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINE DISUCCINATE
- CAPRYLYL GLYCOL
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% · 6
What has been studied about those differences
Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster
- Sodium hyaluronate Skin effectEfficacy of cream-based novel formulations of hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights in anti-wrinkle treatment
All five 0.1% hyaluronic acid creams tested, from 50 kDa to 2000 kDa, raised skin hydration and overall elasticity above the vehicle cream applied to the other eye at 60 days.
Human trial · 2011 · 76 people · Women aged 30-60 with periocular wrinkles · 0.1% hyaluronic acid creams applied twice daily for 60 days to the eye area of women aged 30-60 with periocular wrinkles. · Sixty days, and the vehicle sat on the fellow eye. Hydration and elasticity were read by instruments. The volunteers were women aged 30-60 with eye-area wrinkles.
- GLYCERIN Skin effectCombined effects of glycerol and petrolatum in an emollient cream: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study in healthy volunteers with dry skin
In a randomized, double-blind, four-arm crossover study of 51 healthy volunteers with dry skin, an emollient containing glycerol and petrolatum raised corneometry-measured skin moisture significantly above its vehicle (P < 0.0001) over 12 hours. The authors attributed the hydration gain to the glycerol component and the lower water loss to the petrolatum component.
Human trial · 2020 · 51 people · healthy volunteers with dry skin (Kligman score 2 or 3) · Corneometry (skin moisture) and transepidermal water loss over 12 hours after one application. · Measured on the forearms. The significant hydration result comes from the full emollient containing both glycerol and petrolatum.
- GLYCERIN Skin effectGlycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions
Topical glycerol improves stratum corneum hydration, barrier function and skin mechanical properties. The review also reports reduced irritation response and faster wound healing, and traces the effect to aquaporin-3 transport and to glycerol's own presence in the skin.
Review article · 2008 · Humans in the cited studies, plus animal and in-vitro work on mechanism · Leave-on products. The review discusses both healthy skin and skin with dry or barrier-impaired conditions such as atopic dermatitis. · A narrative review. It compiles mechanisms and results from other studies.
- PANTHENOL Skin effectThe Effectiveness and Safety of a Skin Care Product With Centella asiatica Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, and Panthenol in Subjects With Sensitive Skin: A Prospective, Observational Study
In 88 women with sensitive skin, a face cream containing Centella asiatica leaf extract, ceramide NP and panthenol lowered the SS-10 symptom score by 66% at week 2 and 76% at week 4, with irritation, tautness, itching and redness all significantly reduced.
Human trial · 2025 · 88 people · women with sensitive skin · Chinese women with sensitive skin applying the cream to the whole face, followed up at day 2, weeks 1, 2 and 4. · Observational and self-controlled.
The situations those studies looked at
What to watch for
Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster
- PANTHENOL SensitizationPantothenic Acid as an Unexpected Cause of Hypersensitivity to Sensitive or Atopic Skin Care Products - A Narrative Review
Panthenol is treated as non-allergenic, this review argues that frequent exposure, especially on damaged skin, can produce hypersensitivity to it. The likely route is a delayed (type IV) contact reaction; immediate and mixed reactions remain possible. Proposes patch testing with the patient's own product and with panthenol 5% in petrolatum.
Review article · 2026 · People with atopic or damaged skin using panthenol-containing products · People who use panthenol products repeatedly, particularly those with atopic or damaged skin - the group the author says is most exposed. · A single-author narrative review. The mechanism it proposes is stated as likely. Read it as a reason to keep panthenol on the list of possible allergens.
Both ingredient lists and where they came from
Ingredient list from： Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster — brand product page · last checked 2026-10-30
Ingredient list from： The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% — brand product page · last checked 2026-10-12