Iren Shizen Forever Young Anti-Aging Serum Versus Biba de Sousa The Plant Stem Cell Serum with Peptides
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantLycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Punica Granatum Extract
AstringentHydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingHydrolyzed Manihot Esculenta Tuber Extract
Skin ConditioningCaesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingKappaphycus Alvarezii Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Punica Granatum Extract, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Hydrolyzed Manihot Esculenta Tuber Extract, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Leontopodium Alpinum Extract
Skin ConditioningUbiquinone
Antioxidant
Echinacea Purpurea Leaf/Stem/Meristem Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Asparagus Officinalis Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Ubiquinone, Echinacea Purpurea Leaf/Stem/Meristem Cell Culture Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Asparagus Officinalis Stem Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseThis synthetic, signal peptide has unique skin conditioning properties in that is a matrikine-mimetic compound.
First of all, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 is a signal peptide; signal peptides tell the body to create more collagen.
What is a matrikine-mimetic compound?
This peptide has the ability to mimic matrikines in skin. Our skin created matrikines by breaking down matrix proteins into peptides.
Matrikines play a role in:
Though further research is needed, this ingredient seems pretty promising. In one study, women over the age of 40 with visible photoaging used a vitamin C serum with this ingredient for 56 days (15% ascorbid acid, 5 ppm palmitoyl tripeptide‐38). The results found improvement in skin roughness and skin tone.
This peptide is also part of the famous Matrixyl synthe’6, a blend of ingredients that also includes glycerin, water, and hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin.
Learn more about Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38Palmitoyl 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.
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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
