Skin science article
APLB Collagen EGF Peptide Ampoule Serum Versus Coxir Intensive EGF Peptides Serum
APLB Collagen EGF Peptide Ampoule Serum Versus Coxir Intensive EGF Peptides Serum This anti-aging serum is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Sh-Oligopeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and calm redness. This anti-aging serum is formulated ar
APLB Collagen EGF Peptide Ampoule Serum Versus Coxir Intensive EGF Peptides Serum
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Centella Asiatica Extract and Sh-Oligopeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and calm redness.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Centella Asiatica Extract 35.7%
Butylene Glycol
Propanediol
Glycerin
Diethoxyethyl Succinate
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Sh-Oligopeptide-1
Madecassic Acid
Asiaticoside
Asiatic Acid
Squalane
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Beta-Glucan
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
Nelumbo Nucifera Extract
Artemisia Annua Extract
Oryza Sativa Extract
Saccharomyces Ferment
Dipropylene Glycol
Sodium Citrate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Allantoin
Cellulose Gum
Disodium EDTA
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Citric Acid
Xanthan Gum
Inulin
Cellulose
Glucose
Fructose
Panthenol
Ethylhexylglycerin
Hydroxyacetophenone
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
1,2-Hexanediol
Water, Centella Asiatica Extract 35.7%, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Squalane, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Beta-Glucan, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Extract, Artemisia Annua Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Cellulose Gum, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Inulin, Cellulose, Glucose, Fructose, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, 1,2-Hexanediol
Niacinamide
Betaine
PEG/PPG-18/4 Copolymer
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Tripeptide-1
Pentapeptide-13
Nonapeptide-1
Copper Tripeptide-1
Carbomer
Arginine
PPG-26-Buteth-26
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Adenosine
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Theobroma Cacao Extract
Pyrus Malus Leaf Extract
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Caprylyl Glycol
Thymus Vulgaris Extract
Fragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract
Camellia Sinensis Callus Culture Extract
Prunus Persica Fruit Extract
Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract
Bambusa Vulgaris Callus Culture Extract
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Leontopodium Alpinum Extract
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Prunus Domestica Fruit Extract
Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Tropolone
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Betaine, PEG/PPG-18/4 Copolymer, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Tripeptide-1, Pentapeptide-13, Nonapeptide-1, Copper Tripeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Carbomer, Arginine, Allantoin, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Pyrus Malus Leaf Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Fragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Callus Culture Extract, Prunus Persica Fruit Extract, Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Callus Culture Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Prunus Domestica Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Tropolone
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.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
Emollient, helping to soften skin
Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
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.
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.
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer is made up of glycerin and polyacrylic acid. It helps hydrate your skin as a humectant.
This ingredient forms a hydrogel that delivers moisturizing, water-based ingredients to the skin. It is also used to thicken a product and to give it a smooth texture.
Acrylic acid itself is toxic, but the polymer form (this ingredient) is too large to penetrate skin, making it non-toxic.
Hydrolyzed Collagen is Collagen (usually sourced from fish, bovine, or porcine byproducts) that's been broken down into smaller peptides. This makes it water-soluble and easy to blend into formulations.
In a formula, it works mainly as a skin-conditioning and moisturizing agent.
The small peptides and amino acids (including Natural Moisturizing Factor components like Hydroxyproline, Serine, and Aspartic Acid) help the surface of the skin hold onto water, feel softer, and look temporarily plumper.
This ingredient also has mild film-forming and antioxidant properties with research showing the antioxidant effect is stronger the lower the molecular weight of the peptides.
It's worth being realistic here:
Topically applied Hydrolyzed Collagen conditions the upper layers of skin rather than rebuilding the structural collagen deep in your dermis (the wrinkle-and-firmness benefits people associate with Collagen mostly come from oral supplements in studies, not topicals).
However, recent lab and skin-model work on Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen has shown promising effects on cell viability and wound healing when used as an active.
Typical concentrations range from 0.2-2%, but the percentage can go much higher in rinse-off or hair products (sometimes even above 50%).
Clinical studies on this ingredient showed no irritation, sensitization, or phototoxicity.
If you are looking for vegan collagen, it usually goes by a different INCI name like hydrolyzed soy protein. Vegan collagen is derived from yeast, bacteria, or plant sources.
The results are varied.
A study from 2021 found hydrolyzed collagen increased elasticity and improved wrinkles in 1,125 participants between age 20 and 70. Another study found increased skin thickness in participants between the ages of 45 to 59.
However, It is difficult to prove that oral collagen will end up working on your skin. Many of the studies using hydrolyzed collagen also add several vitamins and nutrients into the test mixture as well.
Further studies are needed at this time.
sh-Oligopeptide-1 is a peptide found naturally in our bodies. Peptides are the building blocks for collagen and elastin in our skin.
In cosmetics, this ingredient is bioengineered to be identical to a human gene that codes for epidermal growth factor (EGF). EGF are signal molecules that simulate cell growth and healing.
Studies find EGF help with:
In South Korea and China, EGF is considered a controversial ingredient. The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has cracked down on companies with products including EGF due to false advertisement claims.
According to Dr. Zoe Draelos, growth factors have some drawbacks:
There is also controversy surrounding growth factors. The controversy is due to their mitogenic activity, or their ability to increase the number of cells. It is best to avoid using growth factors if you have psoriasis or are at risk of skin cancer. However, it should be noted EGF are not mutagenic - meaning they will not cause cancer.
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!