Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial Versus Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream

Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial Versus Allies of Skin Retinal & Peptides Repair Night Cream

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

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Hydrolyzed Candida Saitoana Extract

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract

Galactoarabinan

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide

Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3

Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide

Oxycoccus Palustris Seed Oil

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil

Withania Somnifera Root Extract

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Callus Culture Extract

Retinal

Ellagic Acid

Phenyl T-Butylnitrone

Ergothioneine

Glutathione

N-Hydroxysuccinimide

Chrysin

Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole

Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Lavandula Hybrida Oil

Pentylene Glycol

Cyclodextrin

Caprylyl Glycol

Steareth-20

Citric Acid

Xanthan Gum

Acetyl Tributyl Citrate

Potassium Sorbate

Geraniol

Limonene

Linalool

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Candida Saitoana Extract, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Galactoarabinan, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Hyaluronic Acid, Oxycoccus Palustris Seed Oil, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Callus Culture Extract, Retinal, Ellagic Acid, Phenyl T-Butylnitrone, Ergothioneine, Glutathione, Mirabilis Jalapa Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Cyclodextrin, Caprylyl Glycol, Steareth-20, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Dextran, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Butylene 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.

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

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

Dimethyl Isosorbide (often shortened to DMI) is a sugar-derived solvent made from sorbitol. It's used to dissolve tricky ingredients and help them mix smoothly into a formula.

Many actives sit as gritty crystals when undissolved, so DMI swoops in to full dissolve them. This helps improve texture, stability, and how evenly an active is distributed.

It does have a penetration-enhancing reputation that is a bit more nuanced than marketing suggests; a cell study on human skin found that 10% DMI didn't significantly boost the permeation of Hydroquinone, Salicylic Acid, or Octadecenedioic Acid compared to controls (though it did improve their solubility in the formula itself).

Typical usage concentrations usually range from 1-10% depending on the formula's needs; this ingredient is also well tolerated at these levels.

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:

We don't have a description for Mirabilis Jalapa Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract yet.

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.

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.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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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