Clinical Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer

Paula's Choice

Clinical Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer

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About this product

The Paula's Choice Clinical Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer is a moisturizer. Our analysis of its 46 ingredients (35 low-risk) rates it Excellent (97/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Moisturizers
Ingredients
46
Low-risk
35
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
Origin
United States

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 14/11
Good for dry skin
Glyceryl Stearate Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2 Cetyl Alcohol Squalane Ethylhexyl Stearate Caprylyl Glycol Butylene Glycol Sodium PCA Glycerin Cholesterol Dimethicone Sodium Polyacrylate Glyceryl Ascorbate
Caution for dry skin
Behenic Acid Punica Granatum Extract Cetyl Alcohol Glycerin Trideceth-6 Potassium Cetyl Phosphate Ceteareth-25 Sodium Polyacrylate Sodium Hydroxide Polysorbate 20 PEG-100 Stearate
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 3/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Punica Granatum Extract Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate Retinol
Sensitive Skin 7/8
Good for sensitive skin
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate Glycerin Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate Dimethicone Tocopheryl Acetate Propyl Gallate Glyceryl Ascorbate
Caution for sensitive skin
Punica Granatum Extract Cetyl Alcohol Sodium Citrate Butylene Glycol Glycerin Propyl Gallate Phenoxyethanol Retinol

Ingredients list

46 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All46 Skin Conditioning33 Hair Conditioning13 Emollient9 Emulsifying8 Humectant7 Fragrance6 Surfactant6 Antioxidant5
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
(Antioxidant)
1
A
Cetyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Fragrance, Opacifying, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Viscosity Increasing Agent)
1
B
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Glyceryl Stearate
(Emollient, Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
3
A
PEG-100 Stearate
(Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
3
PEG-12 Glyceryl Dimyristate
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
3
A
Dimethicone
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Protecting, Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
Silicone
Silicone
Glyceryl Ascorbate
(Antioxidant, Humectant)
1
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
Ceramide NP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide NS
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide AP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide EOP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide EOS
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Cholesterol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
A
Caprooyl Phytosphingosine
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
A
Caprooyl Sphingosine
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Squalane
(Emollient, Hair Conditioning, Refatting, Skin Conditioning)
1
Punica Granatum Extract
(Astringent, Masking, Tonic)
1
Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root
(Skin Conditioning)
Vitis Vinifera
(Fragrance, Skin Protecting)
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
Carnosine
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Panthenol
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
B
Sodium PCA
(Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Antistatic Agent, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
Sodium Citrate
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Chelating, Masking)
3
B
Ceteareth-25
(Cleansing, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
3
B
Polysorbate 20
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
B
Ethylhexyl Stearate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
1
B
Trideceth-6
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
3
B
Propyl Gallate
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Perfuming)
1
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
(Viscosity Controlling)
3
B
Sodium Polyacrylate
(Absorbent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Skin Conditioning Agent Emollient, Viscosity Controlling Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Skin Conditioning)
1
Behenic Acid
(Opacifying, Sufactantsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Behenic Acid., Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
2
A
Chlorphenesin
(Cosmetic Biocide, Antimicrobial, Preservative)

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
PEG-12 Glyceryl Dimyristate
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for dry skin
Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains silicone
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — higher EWG
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antioxidant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingFragranceOpacifyingEmulsifyingSurfactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentEmollientMaskingViscosity controlling
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningEmollientViscosity increasing agent
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant
PEG-12 Glyceryl Dimyristate
Skin conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 Skin conditioning
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningEmollient
Glyceryl Ascorbate
Antioxidant, Humectant
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntioxidantHumectant
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AntioxidantSkin conditioning
Ceramide NP
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Ceramide NS
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Ceramide AP
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Ceramide EOS
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Cholesterol
Emulsion stabilising, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingSkin conditioningViscosity increasing agentEmollientEmulsifyingStabilisingViscosity controlling
+ 19 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientEmulsifying Fungal-acne trigger
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Surfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Dimethicone
Antifoaming agent, Skin protecting
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin protectingEmollientSkin conditioning Silicone
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Panthenol
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioning Good for Dry Skin
Sodium PCA
Hair conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioningHumectantAntistatic agentSkin conditioning Good for Dry Skin
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Behenic Acid
Opacifying, Sufactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of behenic acid.
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 OpacifyingSufactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of behenic acid.Emulsifying Fungal-acne trigger
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Where it fits: Apply near the end of your routine, after thinner serums.
  • 2 Evening: Use at night — start 2–3× a week and build up as your skin tolerates it.
  • 3 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Officially notified as a cosmetic in Malaysia (NPRA). Government registration record.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Often avoided
Retinoids (Vitamin A) (Retinol)

Topical retinoids (retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl esters) are widely advised against in pregnancy as a precaution. The strongest evidence is for ORAL retinoids; topical absorption is low, but most clinicians err on the side of caution.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Retinoids (Vitamin A) 0.01–1%

Most studied between 0.1% and 1%. Higher is not automatically better — irritation climbs with dose, so a well-formulated lower strength is often the sweet spot.

Retinol

Vitamin C (ascorbic) 5–20%

L-ascorbic acid is usually used at 5–20% (around 10–15% is common). Above ~20% adds little and tends to irritate more; it also needs a low pH to work.

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Ascorbate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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