Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial Versus Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

Allies of Skin Promise Keeper Blemish Sleeping Facial Versus Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

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

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

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

Isopropyl Isostearate

Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Cetearyl Alcohol

Palmitic Acid

Stearic Acid

Pentylene Glycol

Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract

Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil

Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil

Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil

Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil

Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil

Polyglyceryl-6 Ximenia Americana Seedate

Cholesterol

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Ceramide NP

Phytosphingosine

Ceteareth-20

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Sodium Hydroxide

Citric Acid

Carbomer

Xanthan Gum

Caprylyl Glycol

Chlorphenesin

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Isostearate, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Ximenia Americana Seedate, Cholesterol, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Ceteareth-20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

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.

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.

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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