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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream versus Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 .

Published on November 10, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free . They have a total of 10 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid and retinoid

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, parabens, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain common allergens, fragrances and oils

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Night Moisturizer American Brand United States
Serum British Brand United Kingdom

Night Moisturizer

Night Moisturizers are marketed to hydrate the skin overnight.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream

Shop

Buy Crystal Retinal 3

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Retinoid
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid
Peptides (3)

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (2)
Rosacea

Notable Ingredients

Retinoid
Vitamin C (2)
Vitamin E
Exfoliators
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating
Rosacea
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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 1.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 2.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.

Within a product, Caprylic Triglyceride can thicken the product and make spreadability easier by dissolving clumping compounds. An added benefit of Caprylic Triglyceride is its antioxidant properties.

Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Caprylic Triglyceride has not been found to be toxic for human use in concentrations under 50%.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this.

Learn more about Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 3.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 2.

4
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil is an oil and isn't fungal acne safe.

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 18.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 21.

5
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Retinal is a form of retinoid. Retinoids are the gold-standard class of anti-aging ingredients.

Retinal has many benefits as other retinoids: improve skin texture, reduce large pores, reduce the effects of aging, reduce the visibility of dark spots, heal scars, and fight acne.

Studies show retinal may work at a faster rate than retinol due to its structure.

All retinoids have to be converted into retinoic acid before starting to work. Some retinoids take several steps of conversion before binding. Retinal is only one step away, making it more potent.

Like other retinoids, retinal may be irritating. It is best to ease into using this ingredient frequently.

Using the 'ramp up' method, start by using retinol once a week. This gives your skin time to adjust and decrease irritation. Once you feel ready, you can slowly increase the frequency of retinol use.

Using retinoids will increase sun-sensitivity in the first few weeks of use. Though studies show retinoids increase your skin's natural SPF with continuous use, it is best to always wear sunscreen and sun-protection.

Learn more about Retinal

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 22.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 13.

6
What it does: Perfuming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

This Honeysuckle flower extract comes from the Italian honeysuckle. It is an antioxidant, antimicrobial, and fragrance.

Both this and the Japanese Honeysuckle are rich in a natural paraben that give it antimicrobial property. They are effective in inhibiting bacteria, yeast, and mold.

Honeysuckle contains flavonoids and saponins. Both of these components are natural antioxidants that can help soothe the skin.

As most flowers do, honeysuckle has a natural fragrance.

Learn more about Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 31.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 32.

7
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract comes from the honeysuckle flower.

Honeysuckles have skin protecting, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains many antioxidants, such as luteolin, caffeic acid, loniflavone, and chlorogenic acids.

This honeysuckle is native to East Asia and used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat fever and inflammation.

Learn more about Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 32.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 35.

8
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.

The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.

This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.

Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.

Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.

Learn more about Pentylene Glycol

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 34.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 18.

9
What it does: Absorbent

We don't have a description for Cyclodextrin.

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 36.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 5.

10
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 44.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains this as ingredient number 30.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

30% are loved or liked
13% have mixed ratings
19% are disliked or very disliked
38% have no rating yet
33% are loved or liked
15% have mixed ratings
36% are disliked or very disliked
15% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream 47 ingredients

Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 39 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 2 ratings

Alternatives

We haven't detected any alternatives for Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream.

Our Dupe Finder has found 6 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3.

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