Allies of Skin Retinal 0.05% & Peptides Repair Night Cream Versus Medik8 Crystal Retinal

Allies of Skin Retinal 0.05% & Peptides Repair Night Cream Versus Medik8 Crystal Retinal

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Retinal and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Propanediol

Punica Granatum Seed Oil

Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Beta-Glucan

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Ubiquinone

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Madecassoside

Asiaticoside

Ceramide NP

Panthenol

Arginine

Glycolipids

Ornithine

Retinal

Bisabolol

Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract

Lecithin

Oxidized Glutathione

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Gluconolactone

Levulinic Acid

Biotin

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Sodium Polyacrylate

Potassium Sorbate

Butylene Glycol

Citric Acid

Sodium Gluconate

Pentylene Glycol

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Carbomer

Water, Glycerin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Beta-Glucan, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ubiquinone, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Arginine, Glycolipids, Ornithine, Retinal, Bisabolol, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Lecithin, Oxidized Glutathione, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Gluconolactone, Levulinic Acid, Biotin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Potassium Sorbate, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Carbomer

Isododecane

Cetearyl Olivate

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Cyclodextrin

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sorbitan Olivate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Squalane

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Hydroxyacetophenone

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Sodium Hyaluronate

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil

Alumina

Isostearic Acid

Sodium Polyaspartate

Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate

Polyhydroxystearic Acid

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Stearic Acid

Polysorbate 60

Sorbitan Isostearate

BHT

Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract

Dipteryx Odorata Bean Extract

Coumarin

CI 14700

CI 77891

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Isododecane, Cetearyl Olivate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cyclodextrin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Squalane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Retinal, Alumina, Isostearic Acid, Lecithin, Sodium Polyaspartate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Stearic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, BHT, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Dipteryx Odorata Bean Extract, Coumarin, CI 14700, CI 77891

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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.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

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.

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.

Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:

It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.

This Honeysuckle flower extract comes from the Italian honeysuckle. It is an antioxidant, antimicrobial, and fragrance.

Both this and the Japanese Honeysuckle are rich in a natural paraben that give it antimicrobial property. They are effective in inhibiting bacteria, yeast, and mold.

Honeysuckle contains flavonoids and saponins. Both of these components are natural antioxidants that can help soothe the skin.

As most flowers do, honeysuckle has a natural fragrance.

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract comes from the honeysuckle flower.

Honeysuckles have skin protecting, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains many antioxidants, such as luteolin, caffeic acid, loniflavone, and chlorogenic acids.

This honeysuckle is native to East Asia and used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat fever and inflammation.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

Retinal (aka retinaldehyde) is a form of retinoid that formulators use mainly as an antiaging and skin-renewing active.

What makes it special is its position in the retinoid family; skin converts it to retinoic acid (the prescription gold standard) in just one step.

Because retinal only requires 1 conversion step to become retinoic acid, it's the strongest over-the-counter retinoid. It also works at lower concentrations than retinol, since retinal is about 10x more bioavailable.

Studies back up its efficacy in skin:

A foundational trial showed that applying 0.05-0.5% retinal for 1-3 months produced a dose-dependent and significant increase in epidermal thickness + cell turnover markers.

And a head-to-head comparison of 0.05% retinal against a 0.05% retinoid acid found both formulations were effective for the basis of wrinkle/skin roughness features, but retinoic acid caused more local irritation.

More recent controlled trials confirm it improves wrinkles, dermal density, and firmness over 12-24 weeks, with significant improvements in skin texture and firmness (particularly with the higher 0.1% concentration).

Retinal also has one trick the other retinoids do not: it directly fights against acne bacteria since a clinical study showed retinaldehyde-treated areas displayed a significant decrease in counts of viable P. acnes.

This makes it a great pick for people who want to treat aging and breakouts.

Typical cosmetic use sits in the 0.05-0.1% range with 0.05% being the gentle starting point and 0.1% giving stronger results.

Like all retinoids, retinal works best with nightly use, a good moisturizer, and daytime sunscreen. It can cause some irritation so ease into it slowly rather than going all in.

The "ramp up" method works well: start with Retinal once a week to give your skin time to adjust, which keeps irritation low.

Slowly add more nights until you reach your goal frequency once your skin feels comfortable.

Retinoids also make your skin more sensitive to the sun in the first few weeks, so wear sunscreen every morning and protect your skin from direct sun while you build up tolerance.

Cloudberry seed oil is rich in vitamin C, citric acid, malic acid, vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

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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