Allies of Skin Multi Nutrient & Dioic Renewing Cream Versus Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial

Allies of Skin Multi Nutrient & Dioic Renewing Cream Versus Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial

This brightening moisturizer is formulated around Lactobacillus Ferment and Niacinamide to fade the look of dark spots and strengthen the skin barrier.

This acne night moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate to clear breakouts and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Lactobacillus Ferment

Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer

Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract

Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil

Niacinamide

Octadecenedioic Acid

Rosa Canina Seed Oil

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Squalane

Ribose

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment

Mel

Zinc PCA

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Caffeine

Allantoin

Superoxide Dismutase

Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract

Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract

Centella Asiatica Meristem Cell Culture

Syringa Vulgaris Leaf Cell Culture Extract

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8

Phospholipids

Sodium Hyaluronate

Marrubium Vulgare Meristem Cell Culture

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole

Bisabolol

Ceramide NP

Hyaluronic Acid

Sphingolipids

Tocopherol

Rosmarinyl Glucoside

Caffeyl Glucoside

Gallyl Glucoside

Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane

Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane

Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane

Maltodextrin

Dextran

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Xanthan Gum

Isosorbide Dicaprylate

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lactobacillus Ferment, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Octadecenedioic Acid, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Squalane, Ribose, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Mel, Zinc PCA, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Caffeine, Allantoin, Superoxide Dismutase, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Centella Asiatica Meristem Cell Culture, Syringa Vulgaris Leaf Cell Culture Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Phospholipids, Sodium Hyaluronate, Marrubium Vulgare Meristem Cell Culture, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole, Bisabolol, Ceramide NP, Hyaluronic Acid, Sphingolipids, Tocopherol, Rosmarinyl Glucoside, Caffeyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Maltodextrin, Dextran, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Xanthan Gum, Isosorbide Dicaprylate

Butylene Glycol

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract

Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Silver

Tapioca Starch

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Dicaprylyl Ether

Propanediol

Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract

Pyruvic Acid

Mandelic Acid

Lactic Acid

Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract

Mirabilis Jalapa Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Hydrolyzed Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

T-Butyl Alcohol

Ethylhexylglycerin

O-Cymen-5-Ol

Benzyl Alcohol

Sodium Gluconate

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Niacinamide, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Octadecenedioic Acid, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Maltodextrin, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Mel, Silver, Tapioca Starch, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Dicaprylyl Ether, Propanediol, Caffeine, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pyruvic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Lactic Acid, Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Syringa Vulgaris Leaf Cell Culture Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Mirabilis Jalapa Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Rosmarinyl Glucoside, Caffeyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Hydrolyzed Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, T-Butyl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dextran, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Gluconate, Phenoxyethanol

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Caffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.

As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.

Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.

You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.

Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.

Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.

Caffeyl Glucoside is an antioxidant.

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract comes from the leaves of an herb plant native to Southeast Asia. Centella Asiatica is rich in antioxidants and amino acids. It can help reduce irritation and soothe the skin.

Many active components found in centella asiatica, such as Madecassic Acid and Asiaticoside, encourage the skin to naturally produce hyaluronic acid. This helps keep our skin hydrated. Many of these components also show antioxidant activity and may help reduce the signs of aging.

Research shows centella asiatica can help increase Type I collagen production by increasing fibroblast production. Fibroblast helps form connective tissue.

The combination of all these properties makes centella asiatica leaf extract effective at soothing the skin.

Other components of centella asiatica leaf extract include Vitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, and Asiatic Acid.

Recent studies found madecassoside may help prevent damage from UV rays by preventing UV-induced inflammation. Further research is needed.

This plant has been used as a medicine and in food for many centuries. As a medicine, it is used to treat burns, scratches, and wounds.

Dextran is a sugar (polysaccharide) with skin hydrating properties.

Fun fact: Louis Pasteur first discovered this ingredient as a microbial product in wine.

Gallyl Glucoside is an antioxidant.

Glycerin (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.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.

Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.

The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.

The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.

A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Maltodextrin is a plant-derived carbohydrate made by breaking down starch (usually from corn, potato, or rice). In cosmetic formulas, it's a multitasking absorbent, emulsion stabilizer, and skin conditioner.

This ingredient is mostly used to stabilize emulsions and improve the powdery, non-greasy feel of products (like dry shampoos).

Safety-wise, this ingredient is pretty solid; it's even recognized as a food additive. Both animal and clinical studies found no adverse effects at the levels used in cosmetics.

Industry data shows this ingredient is used up to 45.7% in spray products and up to 33% in powder products.

This ingredient is another INCI name for honey.

Honey mostly shows up in skincare as a humectant and skin conditioning agent. This is because its natural sugars (fructose and glucose) help hold onto water so skin feels softer and more hydrated.

Beyond hydration, honey also has antibacterial and wound-supporting properties. Its antibacterial action comes from a mix of things:

Manuka-type honey has an extra bacteria-killing compound called methylglyoxal, while all Honey contains a natural antibacterial protein called bee defensin-1.

Honey also nudges your immune cells to release signals that start the healing process. This is why medical-grade Honey is actually used in real wound dressings.

Just keep in mind that most of the strong clinical evidence is for wound care and not everyday cosmetic claims.

On concentrations and safety: According to industry data, honey is used up to 22% in paste/mud packs, 7% as a honey extract in body/hand products, and face skincare levels sit well below that.

A human repeat insult patch test of 7% honey extract in 112 subjects showed no sensitization.

Allergy-wise, honey itself is a rare sensitizer. The bigger culprit is usually propolis that sometimes tags along in less-refined honey.

People allergic to propolis, conifer, poplar, salicylates, or Balsam of Peru are advised to avoid this ingredient due to shared allergens.

You might see this ingredient listed as either Honey or Mel. (they're the same thing). Mel is simply the Latin word for honey.

A lot of people wonder if Honey is vegan, and technically it isn't.

Honey is made by bees; they gather nectar and their natural enzymes turn it into the Honey we know. So because it comes from an animal, it doesn't fit a vegan lifestyle.

And please remember to be kind to bees :). They're vital to so many ecosystems, and many species are struggling so they're worth protecting.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

This ingredient is also known as dioic acid and it's basically azelaic acid's cousin. They're part of the same dicarboxylic acid family and dioic acid is longer with 18 carbons instead of 9.

Like azelaic acid, dioic acid is great with lifting dark spots. But instead of blocking the pigment enzyme tyrosinase directly, it switches on receptors in the skin cell that tells the cell to make less tyrosinase in the first place.

Lab tests confirm its ability to tell cells to make less of the pigment-building enzyme and affected the "recipe" for it as well. So less melanin came out in both cells and on actual skin.

On real people, a 12-week study on 96 women with melasma compared 1% dioic acid cream twice daily against 2% hydroquinone. Both performed comparatively at brightening skin and the only difference is that itching was more common in the hydroquinone group.

A separate 12-week study in 71 women used used 1% dioic acid alongside 2% Rumex occidentalis extract and SPF 15. They results showed a significant lightening versus the participant's own baseline at weeks 4, 8, and 12.

Usage concentrations land at roughly 1-2% in published clinical work, though suppliers sometimes push 2-4%.

This ingredient isn't a recognized contact allergen and has been found safe at current use levels/concentrations by the CIR Expert Panel.

Though tolerance in the trials were found to be good, a small number of people may find it irritating (as with any acid).

This synthetic peptide is created from palmitic acid, arginine, histidine, and phenylalanine.

According to the manufacturer, this peptide is great at soothing skin inflammation.

Phospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.

In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).

Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.

They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.

Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.

Some types of phospholipids include:

Rosa Canina Seed Oil is a plant oil that is one of the two main oils sold as "rosehip oil".

It's a lightweight emollient that's especially high in fatty acids like linoleic acid (~54%), linoleic acid (~19%), plus some oleic. The exact percentages vary quite a bit by species, region, and growing conditions.

These fatty acids make it a solid choice for supporting the skin barrier and softening skin.

On the evidence front, a 2024 review on postsurgical scarring found this ingredient to be safe with benefits for scar redness, texture, and pigmentation. It's worth noting the human data is still limited and more trials are needed so it's reasonable to be optimistic but not expect miracles.

This ingredient has been found safe in current practices of use and concentration, with the only caveat that it could contain fragrance allergens (linalool and eugenol).

Fungal acne: The fatty acids of this oil fall into the C11-24 range that Malassezia yeast can metabolize, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Rosmarinyl Glucoside is an antioxidant.

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:

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.

Sphingolipids are a major class of lipids in cell membranes. This ingredient has emollient, skin conditioning, and skin protecting properties.

Certain ceramides are considered sphingolipids (Ceramide NS and Ceramid AP), but not all sphingolipids are ceramides.

We don't have a description for Syringa Vulgaris Leaf Cell Culture Extract yet.

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.

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!

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