What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Rhamnose
HumectantAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Citrol
Perfuming
Grifola Frondosa Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-69
Skin Protecting
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Silica
Abrasive
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Rhamnose, Alcohol Denat., Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Adenosine, Citrol, Grifola Frondosa Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-69, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Silica, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Maltodextrin, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Chloride, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.
The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.
A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
Learn more about AdenosineCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
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
