This anti-aging serum is formulated around Collagen Water and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles.
This barrier-repair essence is formulated around Snail Secretion Filtrate and Panthenol to strengthen the skin barrier and soften the look of wrinkles.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Collagen Water 62.94%
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycereth-26
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide 5%
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
PEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether
StabilisingDiethoxyethyl Succinate
SolventInositol
Humectant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOctyldodeceth-16
EmulsifyingSodium DNA 0.05%
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Damascena Flower Extract 0.05%
Masking
Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide
MaskingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Lecithin
Emollient
Potassium Laurate
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Benzyl Glycol
SolventCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Polylactic Acid
Abrasive
Acetyl Hexapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Tripeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Acetyl Octapeptide-3
Humectant
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Raspberry Ketone
Masking
Sh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-11
Sh-Polypeptide-22
Skin Conditioning
Collagen Water 62.94%, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Water, Niacinamide 5%, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Trehalose, PEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Inositol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Ethylhexylglycerin, Octyldodeceth-16, Sodium DNA 0.05%, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract 0.05%, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, Adenosine, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Octyldodecanol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Cyanocobalamin, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Lecithin, Potassium Laurate, Tocopherol, Benzyl Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Resveratrol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Polylactic Acid, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1, Silica, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tripeptide-1, Tripeptide-2, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Raspberry Ketone, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-11, Sh-Polypeptide-22
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethyl Hexanediol
SolventAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingWater
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Snail Secretion Filtrate, Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Ethyl Hexanediol, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Adenosine, Arginine, Copper Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
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
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (also known as Argireline) is a synthetic hexapeptide that is often called a "topical Botox alternative".
It works by mimicking how Botox relaxes muscles; it interferes with the signaling process that tells your facial muscles to contract. This can help soften expression lines like forehead wrinkles or crow's feet over time.
The comparison to Botox does have limits because the molecule is water-loving and relatively large.
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 has a hard time absorbing deeply enough through the skin's outer barrier to actually reach the muscles.
So whether it truly works the way Botox does at a biological level is still up for debate, but early clinical outcomes are fairly encouraging.
A 12 week human study of a multi-ingredient regimen containing this ingredient saw:
While some studies have observed improvements in wrinkle appearance, it is important to note that more consistent results are seen in multi-ingredient formulations (vs just Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 alone).
Some research studies also used higher concentrations (up to 10%) while this ingredient is usually found in concentrations up to 0.005% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about Acetyl Hexapeptide-8Adenosine 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 GlycolYou might know this ingredient as Matrixyl. It is a synthetic peptide made up of five amino acids attached to a palmitic acid, a fatty acid that helps it absorb into skin more easily.
As a signal peptide, Matrixyl acts like a little messenger. Once it reaches your skin cells, it tells them to ramp up production of collagen, elastin, and other proteins that keep skin looking firm and smooth.
A 12 week clinical study found that a moisturizer containing just 3 ppm of Matrixyl led to a significant improvement in fine-lines and wrinkles. Another study showed an 18% reduction in wrinkle depth, 37% reduction in wrinkle thickness, and a 21% improvement in skin firmness after just 28 days of twice-daily use.
The coolest part is that it works at incredibly low concentrations (like 0.0003%) and it plays well with other actives.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel found it to be non-sensitizing across multiple tests and human patch tests also showed no irritation or sensitization.
Fun fact: Matrixyl was originally developed by French company Sederma and Procter & Gamble.
Read more about other common types of peptides here:
Learn more about Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".
"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.
This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.
Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:
Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.
A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
Sodium 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 HyaluronateWater. 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
