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Altreno Tretinoin 0.05% Versus Paula's Choice Discoloration Repair Serum

Altreno Tretinoin 0.05% Versus Paula's Choice Discoloration Repair Serum This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Tranexamic Acid to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin. What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Altreno Tretinoin 0.05% Versus Paula's Choice Discoloration Repair Serum

This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Tranexamic Acid to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Tretinoin 0.05%

Benzyl Alcohol

BHT

PEG/PPG-1/2 Copolymer

Glycerin

Methylparaben

Paraffinum Liquidum

Octoxynol-9

Water

Sodium Hyaluronate

Collagen

Triethanolamine

Tretinoin 0.05%, Benzyl Alcohol, BHT, PEG/PPG-1/2 Copolymer, Glycerin, Methylparaben, Paraffinum Liquidum, Octoxynol-9, Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Collagen, Triethanolamine

Niacinamide

Tranexamic Acid

C13-15 Alkane

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Ethyl Macadamiate

Behenyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Stearate

Butylene Glycol

Silybum Marianum Seed Oil

Tocopherol

Lactobacillus/Coconut Fruit Juice Ferment Filtrate

Lecithin

Bakuchiol

Xanthan Gum

Caprylyl Glycol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Allantoin

Glycine Soja Oil

Hexylene Glycol

Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract

Glycine Soja Sterols

Citric Acid

Sodium Phytate

Malic Acid

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Tranexamic Acid, C13-15 Alkane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Ethyl Macadamiate, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Silybum Marianum Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Lactobacillus/Coconut Fruit Juice Ferment Filtrate, Lecithin, Bakuchiol, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Allantoin, Glycine Soja Oil, Hexylene Glycol, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Malic Acid, 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.

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.

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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The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
  4. 04The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
  5. 05Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down o…
  6. 06The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
  7. 07A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at…
  8. 08A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
  9. 09On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
  10. 10This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
  11. 11Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
  12. 12Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
  13. 13Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
  14. 14This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
  15. 15A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
  16. 16Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
  17. 17Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
  18. 18Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
  19. 19Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
  20. 20The 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 …
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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03

Comparison edit

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