Advanced Clinicals Collagen Serum Versus Freck Lil Prick Cactus Seed Dry Serum

Advanced Clinicals Collagen Serum Versus Freck Lil Prick Cactus Seed Dry Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Squalane to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil and Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Isopropyl Myristate

Ethylhexyl Olivate

Glycerin

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Cetearyl Alcohol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Hydrolyzed Soybean Fiber

Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum

Squalane

Soluble Collagen

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Helianthus Annuus Extract

Tocopherol

Avena Sativa Bran Extract

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Maltodextrin

Phenoxyethanol

Parfum

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde

Linalool

Hydroxycitronellal

Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Glycerin, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Soybean Fiber, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Squalane, Soluble Collagen, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Tocopherol, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Maltodextrin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Protein

Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil

Rosa Canina Fruit Oil

Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Protein, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Parfum, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Caprylyl 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).

Ethylhexylglycerin 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.

Helianthus Annuus Extract comes from the common sunflower.

Sunflowers are rich in vitamin E. Studies show sunflowers contain antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

The fatty acids found in sunflowers include (from highest amount to least): linoleic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid, and linolenic acid.

These fatty acids hydrate your skin. Emollients create a film on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping.

Hexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.

It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.

As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.

Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.

This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.

A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract comes from the outer layer of a rice kernel. It is a byproduct of milling rice, or the operation to produce a whole grain rice product.

This ingredient has moisturizing properties due to its components of polysaccharides and omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains calcium, selenium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract contains numerous antioxidants such as ferulic acid. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material.

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Phenoxyethanol 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.

This is a botanical extract from the rosemary plant (the same one you cook with). In skincare, it mostly works as a skin conditioning agent.

Its activity comes from a handful of polyphenols, carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. Almost 90% of the antioxidant activity of this ingredient can be attributed to canosol and carnosic acid.

These compounds protect your skin two ways:

1) They fight off free radicals, or the unstable molecules from things like sun and pollution that age and damage skin. 2) They help calm inflammation by switching off the chemical signals that tell skin to get red and irritated.

Lab studies also suggest that rosmarinic acid may help protect collagen and slow sugar-related damage to it.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing.

Rosemary can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis (due to carnosol), so be sure to patch test if you have reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

Similar Comparisons