Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream + Pro-Retinol Versus StriVectin Advanced Retinol Nightly Multi Correct Serum
This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Ubiquinone and Retinyl Palmitate to soften the look of wrinkles.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Cocoate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium EDTA
ChelatingWater, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Stearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Octyldodecanol, Ubiquinone, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningTriheptanoin
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Myristyl Nicotinate
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Withania Somnifera Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Morus Alba Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Bacillus/Sea Salt Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cucumis Sativus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
EmollientBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Polysilicone-11
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Methyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyisobutene
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSynthetic Fluorphlogopite
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
ChelatingPropyl Gallate
Antioxidant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
ChelatingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingSilica
Abrasive
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
BHT
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Triheptanoin, Propanediol, Myristyl Nicotinate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Coconut Alkanes, Squalane, Dimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ectoin, Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone, Retinol, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Polyglutamic Acid, Morus Alba Leaf Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Bacillus/Sea Salt Ferment Filtrate, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus Seed Extract, Beta-Glucan, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Behenate, Bisabolol, Lecithin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Phytosterols, Polysilicone-11, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Methyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopherol, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Oleate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Propyl Gallate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanol, Silica, Ascorbic Acid, Parfum, BHT, Citric Acid, Tin Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, CI 77891
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
This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.
Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage.
Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin. Just know this one's based on experience and not evidence.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
