This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.
This brightening eye mask is formulated around Caffeine and Niacinamide to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingSqualane
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingCetearyl Olivate
Jojoba Esters
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Palmitate
EmollientSpilanthes Acmella Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Palmitate
EmulsifyingDunaliella Salina Extract
Skin ConditioningAstaxanthin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantCitric Acid
BufferingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Panthenol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Palmitate, Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sorbitan Palmitate, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Astaxanthin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCeratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientChondrus Crispus Extract
Skin ConditioningBetaine
HumectantChondrus Crispus Powder
AbrasiveCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingHyaluronic Acid
HumectantCaffeine
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Tetrapeptide-5
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientVaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
BleachingCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
EmollientLycium Chinense Fruit Extract
AntioxidantLaminaria Japonica Extract
Skin ProtectingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientHizikia Fusiforme Extract
Skin ConditioningAnthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
MaskingGelidium Cartilagineum Extract
Skin ProtectingSalicornia Herbacea Extract
Skin ConditioningMica
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentPotassium Chloride
Butylene Glycol
HumectantHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientSucrose
HumectantPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSynthetic Fluorphlogopite
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantTrideceth-6
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
PreservativeCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Betaine, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Cellulose Gum, Hyaluronic Acid, Caffeine, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Gelidium Cartilagineum Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Mica, Sodium Polyacrylate, Potassium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Sucrose, Polysorbate 20, Ethylhexylglycerin, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, CI 77891, Trideceth-6, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a synthetic signal lipopeptide. This just means it is a three amino acid chain bolted onto a palmitic acid tail so it can slip through the skin's lipid barrier.
This peptide has a "build more, lose less" approach.
It's designed to mimic the collagen-stimulating activity in your skin by copying a snippet of one of your skin's own matrix proteins. This nudges fibroblasts into making more collagen while inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down skin protein.
The manufacturer's in vivo study of 45 volunteers found 1% and 2.5% reduced the appearance of wrinkles by 7% and 12% respectively, after using it twice daily for 84 days.
This is in the expected range for peptides; they're slow and cumulative actives and not overnight fixers.
Typical use levels range from 1-3% and this ingredient gets along with pretty much everything.
On the fungal acne front:
Although palmitic acid sits in the chain length that Malassezia can feed on, this ingredient has it locked in an amine bond. This makes it hard for Malassezia to access as a source of food, and therefore fungal acne safe.
Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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