What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-26
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hexapeptide-11
Skin Conditioning
Hexapeptide-9
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Cocoyl/Stearoyl (Alanine/Arginine/Asparagine/Aspartic Acid/Glutamic Acid/Glutamine/Glycine/Histidine/Isoleucine/Leucine/Lysine/Phenylalanine/Proline/Serine/Threonine/Tyrosine/Valine)
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract
MaskingTripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Polygonum Aviculare Extract
EmollientHoney
Humectant
Nonapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Heptapeptide-4
Humectant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Sea Whip Extract
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Aminobutyric Acid
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Thioctic Acid
Antioxidant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Bacillus
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Dextran
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Cocoyl/Stearoyl (Alanine/Arginine/Asparagine/Aspartic Acid/Glutamic Acid/Glutamine/Glycine/Histidine/Isoleucine/Leucine/Lysine/Phenylalanine/Proline/Serine/Threonine/Tyrosine/Valine), Glycerin, Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, Tripeptide-1, Polygonum Aviculare Extract, Honey, Nonapeptide-1, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, Phytosphingosine, Sea Whip Extract, Niacinamide, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Aminobutyric Acid, Adenosine, Thioctic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Bacillus, Polysorbate 20, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dextran, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
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
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 AdenosineButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCaprylyl 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 GlycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinTripeptide-1, also known as GHK), is a small, three-amino-acid peptide made up of glycine, histidine, and lysine.
This ingredient is a signal peptide and tell your skin to start producing fresh collagen, elastin, and other key structural proteins. This helps maintain firmness and reduces the look of fine-lines/wrinkles.
GHK is also unique because is also acts as a carrier peptide. It binds to and transports copper ions (forming the complex GHK-Cu). This form has been studied for decades and is known to stimulate wound healing, boost antioxidant defenses, and promote collagen/elastin synthesis.
In-vitro studies show both GHK and GHK-CU increase fibroblast activity that enhances the production of collagen, elastin, fibronectin, and other extracellular matrix components.
Both of these compounds also help balance enzymes that control collagen breakdown.
Human studies (in-vivo) using GHK-Cu creams have reported visible improvements to skin density, elasticity, and wrinkle depth after several weeks of use.
A small clinical study also found topical collagen tripeptide improved wrinkle appearance and skin elasticity in women after four weeks.
While these results are promising, most research is based on GHK-Cu or its derivatives rather than Tripeptide-1 alone (Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is a famous derivative of GHK). However, the consensus still supports GHK as a potent skin-signaling molecule that can encourage regeneration and maintain youthful looking skin.
Fun fact: GHK is a naturally occurring fragment of type 1 collagen that can be found in human plasma, saliva, and urine.
Learn more about Tripeptide-1Water. 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
