This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Sodium DNA to soften the look of wrinkles.
This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Cholesterol and Panthenol to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Caviar Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantMethylpropanediol
SolventGlycereth-26
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingSodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantGellan Gum
Sodium DNA
Skin ConditioningCalcium Lactate
AstringentAdenosine
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Dextrin
AbsorbentSalmon Egg Extract
Caviar Extract
Skin ConditioningGardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Sclerotium Gum
HumectantCarrageenan
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater
Skin ConditioningCeratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientSucrose
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPotassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantCaviar Water, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Glycereth-26, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyacetophenone, Gellan Gum, Sodium DNA, Calcium Lactate, Adenosine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Dextrin, Salmon Egg Extract, Caviar Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Sclerotium Gum, Carrageenan, Xanthan Gum, Water, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Sucrose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingHydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientHydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCholesterol
EmollientSodium Surfactin
CleansingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Behenic Acid
CleansingSqualane
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantBetaine
HumectantStearic Acid
CleansingPropanediol
SolventSodium PCA
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Lactate
BufferingPCA
HumectantSerine
MaskingAlanine
MaskingGlycine
BufferingHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningGlutamic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantLysine Hcl
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Arginine
MaskingHyaluronic Acid
HumectantCeramide Ns
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin ConditioningCeramide AP
Skin ConditioningCeramide As
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin ConditioningSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantCeramide EOP
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Dimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydroxypropyl Bislauramide Mea, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cholesterol, Sodium Surfactin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Behenic Acid, Squalane, Panthenol, Allantoin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Betaine, Stearic Acid, Propanediol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lactate, PCA, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide NP, Glutamic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Arginine, Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide Ns, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Proline, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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.
Learn more about GlycerinHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is a type of Hyaluronic Acid.
Hyaluronic Acids help moisturize, soothe, and protect the skin.
Read about common types of Hyaluronic Acid here:
Learn more about Sodium Acetylated HyaluronateSodium 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.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is a crosslinked version of sodium hyaluronate. This just means it's linked into a 3D mesh network that lets it be more stable and sit on skin as a cohesive, gel-like film rather than sinking into skin.
A 2016 human skin study found crosslinked HA increased epidermal water content by 7.6% over the control group and reduced transepidermal water loss by 27.8%.
A follow-up clinical trial found that a topical crosslinked HA serum applied after fillers, microneedling, or chemical peels was well-tolerated and enhanced skin quality at 14 / 28 days.
More recent research suggests that concentrations as low as 0.03% can act as a penetration enhancer for other skincare actives.
Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate CrosspolymerWater. 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!
Learn more about Water