Kao Curel Intensive Moisture Care Wrinkle Moisture Essence
Works for
1 of 2 advertised claims delivered
Moisturizing7 ingredients credited for this claimStrong support
“Curel Intensive Moisture Care Wrinkle Moisture Essence”
This product can help improve hydration of the skin with the two types of ingredients.
The first type is called “humectants”:
these ingredients help attract water.
When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from
within deeper layers of the skin. The following ingredients in this product do the job:
allantoin, glutamic acid.
This product also contains ingredients called “occlusives”. They help reduce the speed with which our skin loses moisture to the outside environment. These ingredients also help soften the upper layer of the skin, so it feels less tight and nicer to the touch. The following ingredients in this product do the job: dimethicone, acrylamide.
The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: phytosphingosine
Anti-agingNo ingredient credited for this claimLimited support
“Make wrinkles look less prominent, skin smoother and better makeup adherence.”
This product does not contain ingredients that are able to reduce fine lines and wrinkles or help with skin elasticity, but it can improve the look of the skin temporarily through moisturization. Well-moisturized skin might also be able to repair the sun damage better.
Can it cause trouble?
Irritancy2 strong irritants: Rosa damascena extract, Eucalyptus globulus leaf extractMedium risk
ComedogenicClean of flagged comedogenic ingredientsNone flagged
User reviews
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Ingredients
Filter by role to see what each ingredient is doing.
Allantoin~23–35%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Helps calm down inflammation in skin and can help reduce itching. Helps to repair the skin barrier and keep skin hydrated
More about AllantoinWater~12–17%
Glycerin~4.3–6.5%
- Irritation risk
- Low
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Naturally present in skin. It attracts water to the upper layer of the skin working as a humectant
More about GlycerinPropylene glycol~3.1–4.7%
- Irritation risk
- High
Helps oil and water mix together and can enhance the penetration of other ingredients into the skin. It can be irritating
More about Propylene glycolDimethicone~2.7–4.1%
- Irritation risk
- Low
A silicone that helps to reduce water loss from the surface of the skin. Can temporarily "fill in" lines and wrinkles, absorb oil, and create a nice product finish
More about DimethiconeWater~1.6–2.5%
Rosa damascena extract~1.4–2%
- Irritation risk
- High
Oil of a very fragrant pink rose used as fragrance in cosmetics. Extensive research has shown it has mixed benefits. In the pro column, inhaling this flower’s scent seems to have relaxing properties and the plant’s petals contain skin-soothing and antioxidant compounds that can benefit skin. On the flipside, the numerous chemicals that create this rose’s distinctive fragrance pose a risk of causing skin aggravation.
More about Rosa damascena extractZingiber officinale extract~1.2–1.8%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract~1–1.5%
- Irritation risk
- High
Used as a fragrance. Can be irritating
More about Eucalyptus globulus leaf extractPhytosphingosine~1–1.45%
- Irritation risk
- Low
A type of lipid that is naturally present in skin. It might help in repairing skin barrier function and has anti-bacterial effect
More about PhytosphingosineGlycerin~0.8–1.25%
- Irritation risk
- Low
One of the best moisturizing ingredients. Naturally present in skin. It attracts water to the upper layer of the skin working as a humectant
More about GlycerinButylene glycol~0.45–1.1%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Used to create a nice product texture and help delivery of other ingredients. Might be somewhat helpful in attracting water to the upper layer of the skin
More about Butylene glycolAcrylamide~0.5–1.15%
- Irritation risk
- High
Used to stabilize formulations and increase water resistance of sunscreen ingredients. In cosmetics, the polymer form of this compound is used. The polymer's molecules cannot penetrate the skin making the compound safe for use in skin care as long as the monomer residue (which, unlike polyacrylamide, is toxic) in the final product is below 0.2%. It can be irritating for skin
More about AcrylamidePolyethylene~0.5–1.1%
Glycol dimethacrylate crosspolymer~0.15–0.6%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Helps create a thicker product consistency
More about Glycol dimethacrylate crosspolymerPeg-4~0.1–0.5%
- Irritation risk
- Low
Glutamic acid~0.05–0.3%
- Irritation risk
- Low
An amino-acid that helps attract water to the upper layer of the skin
More about Glutamic acidIngredient list view
Allantoin, Water, Glycerin, Propylene glycol, Dimethicone, Water, Rosa damascena extract, Unknown, Zingiber officinale extract, Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract, Phytosphingosine, Glycerin, Unknown, Butylene glycol, Unknown, Acrylamide, Polyethylene, Glycol dimethacrylate crosspolymer, Peg-4, Unknown, Glutamic acid, Unknown
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Worth comparing, line by line.
Match % combines shared ingredients, the first five ingredients, shared actives and hero ingredients, irritancy (lower counts in the alternative's favour), texture and body area. Only products in the same routine step are compared.
| KaoCurel Intensive Moisture Care Wrinkle Moisture EssenceYOUR PRODUCT | PillowtalkDermMajor Fade Active Seal Moisturizer | Dr.GHydra Intensive Cream | CeraVeSkin Renewing Night Cream | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match | — | 67% | 64% | 62% |
| Price | $18.96 | — | $41.70+$22.74 | $15.44−$3.52 |
| Shared key ingredients | — | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Key difference | — | Hexapeptide-2 | Ceramide 3 | Niacinamide |
| Irritancy | Medium | Low | Medium | Low |
| Drying alcohol | — | — | — | — |
| View product | Shop | Shop | Shop |
Product summary
"Kao - Curel Intensive Moisture Care Wrinkle Moisture Essence" has a good moisturizing formula. As we expect from a proper moisturizer, the formula includes a combo of effective humectants and emollients. These are the two different types of ingredients that are essential for improving the skin hydration and supporting a healthy skin barrier. Humectants in this product (allantoin, glutamic acid, glycerin and butylene glycol) help to increase the water content in the upper layer of the skin. (These ingredients do so by "capturing" water molecules from the outside air or from within the deeper layers of the skin). Phytosphingosine, dimethicone and acrylamide in this product help decrease the water evoporation from the skin, so that it stays hydrated for longer. These ingredients also soften the skin and take away the feeling of tightness and dryness.
Ingredient callouts
- Another benefit is that this moisturizer contain ceramides (phytosphingosine 1.00% - 1.45%). Ceramides are an important part of our natural skin barrier. The ceramides used in skincare are synthetic or come from plants. They help soften the skin and can help "fill the gaps" in the skin barrier, keeping the skin hydrated and resilient for longer.
- In addition, this moisturizer contains Allantoin (23.00% - 35.00%). Allantoin is helpful in wound-healing and can help restore the skin barrier faster. It might also be able to improve scars, but the evidence is not very strong for this.
Irritation risk
We assess the overall irritancy of this moisturizer to be medium. For a detailed overview of all potential irritants: click here
You can see the detailed formula review with the breakdown of all actives in the product and the full ingredient list with estimated concentrations in the tables below.
Price
The product retails for 18.96$ in the United States.
For a detailed price comparison: click here.
Sources cited in this review
Every concentration estimate and effectiveness label is anchored to one of these 8 studies and safety reviews.
- 1
- 2
- 3Surfactants and experimental irritant contact dermatitisncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 4Propylene Glycolpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 5Skin-sensitizing and irritant properties of propylene glycolonlinelibrary.wiley.com
- 6
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