This hydrating ampoule is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate to hydrate skin and soften the look of wrinkles.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Hydroxypropyl Guar
Emulsion StabilisingCalcium Pantothenate
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Secale Cereale Seed Extract
Abrasive
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Skin Conditioning
Fish Oil
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Chlorphenesin, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Secale Cereale Seed Extract, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Fish Oil
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Calcium Pantothenate is calcium salt from Vitamin B5. It can be naturally found in plants and animals.
Calcium Pantothenate is a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals by donating extra electrons. This may help reduce the signs of aging.
Our bodies use Calcium Pantothenate for various metabolic functinos. These functions include metabolizing carbohydrates, proteins, and fatty acids.
Learn more about Calcium PantothenateGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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
