Kiehl's Vital Skin-Strengthening Hyaluronic Acid Super Serum Versus Vichy Liftactiv Supreme HA Epidermic Filler Serum
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialHamamelis Virginiana Water
AstringentPropanediol
SolventPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeTocopherol
AntioxidantAmmonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingSchisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCapryloyl Salicylic Acid
ExfoliatingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingPanax Ginseng Root Extract
EmollientSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantPEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingLimonene
PerfumingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingMethyldihydrojasmonate
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingEugenol
PerfumingSodium Benzoate
MaskingPelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
MaskingCitral
PerfumingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingCymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil
MaskingCitronellol
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
MaskingWater, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Propanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Disodium EDTA, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Limonene, Adenosine, Sodium Hydroxide, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Citric Acid, Eugenol, Sodium Benzoate, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Citral, Potassium Sorbate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Citronellol, Linalool, Geraniol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantHydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingWater, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Secale Cereale Seed Extract, Calcium Pantothenate, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Pentylene Glycol, Ceramide AP
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinPeg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil comes from hydrogenated castor oil. It is a solubilizer and emulsifier.
As a solubilizer, it helps dissolve ingredients into a water-based version. It is also an emulsifer. Emulsifier help prevent oils and water from separating. Both these properties help create evenly-spread and uniform products.
Basically, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil helps hold ingredients together.
Learn more about PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor OilPhenoxyethanol 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