This anti-aging serum is formulated around Bakuchiol and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Bakuchiol
AntimicrobialWater
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventSqualane
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingPolymethylsilsesquioxane
Pentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Laurate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Silica
AbrasivePolyglyceryl-4 Laurate
EmulsifyingDilauryl Citrate
EmollientN-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientBakuchiol, Water, Propanediol, Squalane, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sorbitan Laurate, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Silica, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Dilauryl Citrate, N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate, Citric Acid, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantPropanediol
Solvent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningDimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBakuchiol
AntimicrobialVinyldimethicone
Hydrolyzed Collagen
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantAdenosine
Skin ConditioningSodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
HumectantHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingSodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingIsododecane
EmollientAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingParfum
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Tocopherol
AntioxidantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Bakuchiol, Vinyldimethicone, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Adenosine, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Isododecane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, CI 14700, CI 42090
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived antioxidant from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant. It has antimicrobial, emollient, skin conditioning, and antioxidant properties.
You'll likely see it called a "retinol replacement" but the two are technically not related. This is because bakuchiol is able to flip many of the same switches in your skin cells to tell them to:
1) produce more collagen (type I, III, and IV)
2) activate the same genes retinoids do
Unlike retinoids, this ingredient will not increase photosensitivity and is safe to use during pregnancy (but please still check in with your doctor!).
The flagship clinical trial from Dhaliwal et al. 2019 found 0.5% bakuchiol (twice daily) and 0.5% retinol (once daily) reduced wrinkles and hyperpigmentation equally, but bakuchiol had significantly less irritation.
Systematic reviews also back this up:
Bakuchiol is comparable to retinol for photoaging but with better tolerability. It also has mild antibacterial properties against Cutibacterium acnes and antifungal activity in vitro against Candida and dermatophytes.
The reason bakuchiol works well is due to its structure; it is a meroterpene phenol, or a hybrid molecule. The phenol half acts as an antioxidant while the terpene half is fat-loving. This helps the molecule slip through the skin barrier.
This ingredient is usually used between 0.5-2%. Only one case of contact dermatitis has ever been reported for this ingredient.
Learn more about BakuchiolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolThis is a lab-made ingredient that plays a huge role in improving the texture of a formula.
It's used to thicken watery gel-creams, prevent water + oil from separating, and give products a silky, non-greasy glide.
Safety-wise, a panel of independent toxicologists reviewed this ingredient and concluded it to be safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration.
A separate sensitization patch test on humans also showed no evidence of allergic reactivity, and a true allergy to this ingredient is considered rare.
Typical usage levels range from 0.015%-3% in leave-on products and 0.078%-3.2% in rinse-off products.
Learn more about Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl TaurateWater. 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