Allies of Skin Retinal 0.1% & Peptides Advanced Repair Night Cream Versus Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment

Allies of Skin Retinal 0.1% & Peptides Advanced Repair Night Cream Versus Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Retinal and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging treatment is formulated around Retinol 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

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Beta-Glucan

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment

Ubiquinone

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Madecassoside

Asiaticoside

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Ceramide NP

Panthenol

Arginine

Glycolipids

Ornithine

Retinal

Bisabolol

Lecithin

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Levulinic Acid

Polysorbate 60

Sorbitan Isostearate

Cyclodextrin

Phytosteryl Macadamiate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Phospholipids

Hexapeptide-8

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Xanthan Gum

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Potassium Sorbate

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Water, Glycerin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Beta-Glucan, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Ubiquinone, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Arginine, Glycolipids, Ornithine, Retinal, Bisabolol, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Levulinic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Cyclodextrin, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phospholipids, Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Dimethicone

Butylene Glycol

Isononyl Isononanoate

Castor Isostearate Succinate

Glyceryl Stearate

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

PEG-33

Polysorbate 20

Behenyl Alcohol

PEG-100 Stearate

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Retinol

Ceramide Ng

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Sodium Hyaluronate

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Arctium Lappa Seed Oil

Salix Alba Extract

Glycine Soja Sterols

Allantoin

Tocopheryl Acetate

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein

Sorbitan Laurate

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Disodium EDTA

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Sodium Hydroxide

Tribehenin

Ethylhexylglycerin

Pentylene Glycol

PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides

PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer

PEG-10 Phytosterol

PEG-8 Dimethicone

PEG-14

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Arachidyl Glucoside

Arachidyl Alcohol

Sclerotium Gum

Carbomer

Phenoxyethanol

Benzoic Acid

Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Castor Isostearate Succinate, Glyceryl Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG-33, Polysorbate 20, Behenyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Retinol, Ceramide Ng, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Arctium Lappa Seed Oil, Salix Alba Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Lecithin, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Sorbitan Laurate, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sodium Hydroxide, Tribehenin, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, PEG-10 Phytosterol, PEG-8 Dimethicone, PEG-14, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Arachidyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid

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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.

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).

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.

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".

"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.

This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.

Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:

Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.

You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.

A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.

Fungal acne note: Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.

That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.

Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.

In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.

Human clinical data is promising, but modest:

A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.

A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.

You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.

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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