This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Tranexamic Acid to fade the look of dark spots and soften the look of wrinkles.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Bakuchiol and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingTranexamic Acid
AstringentGlycerin
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPvp
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Butylene Glycol
HumectantAgar
MaskingGellan Gum
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Citrate
BufferingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantCitric Acid
BufferingHydroxydecyl Ubiquinone
AntioxidantAdenosine
Skin ConditioningLactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingFicus Carica Fruit Extract
HumectantFructooligosaccharides
HumectantCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingRetinal
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningArginine
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantGlutathione
Bisabolol
AntioxidantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientAllantoin
Skin ConditioningXanthophylls
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingPhenylpropanol
MaskingLevulinic Acid
PerfumingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningWater, Niacinamide, Tranexamic Acid, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Methylpropanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Pvp, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Agar, Gellan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Citrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Citric Acid, Hydroxydecyl Ubiquinone, Adenosine, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Fructooligosaccharides, Cyanocobalamin, Xanthan Gum, Retinal, Ceramide NP, Arginine, Tocopherol, Glutathione, Bisabolol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Allantoin, Xanthophylls, Sodium Chloride, Phenylpropanol, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
EmollientBetaine
HumectantBakuchiol
AntimicrobialHydrangea Macrophylla Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
HumectantLavandula Angustifolia Extract
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Extract
AntimicrobialOriganum Vulgare Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningThymus Vulgaris Extract
PerfumingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Olivate
Hydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCetyl Palmitate
EmollientSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyisobutene
Sorbitan Palmitate
EmulsifyingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantDisodium EDTA
ChelatingSorbitan Oleate
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingArginine
MaskingCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
Cleansing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Betaine, Bakuchiol, Hydrangea Macrophylla Leaf Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Origanum Vulgare Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Allantoin, Adenosine, Cetearyl Olivate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Sorbitan Palmitate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Disodium EDTA, Sorbitan Oleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Arginine, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol
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 AdenosineAllantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinArginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineButylene 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 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum