Balea Beauty Expert Peptide Serum Versus Balea Beauty Expert Plump & Glow Serum

Balea Beauty Expert Peptide Serum Versus Balea Beauty Expert Plump & Glow Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Copper Tripeptide-1 and Sodium Hyaluronate to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Polyglutamic Acid to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Copper Tripeptide-1

Sodium Hyaluronate

Xanthan Gum

Hydroxyacetophenone

Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid

Propanediol

Betaine

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Copper Tripeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Propanediol, Betaine

Niacinamide

Caffeine

Polyglutamic Acid

Beta-Glucan

Sodium Benzoate

Potassium Sorbate

Citric Acid

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Caprylyl Glycol

Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caffeine, Polyglutamic Acid, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Caprylyl Glycol

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.

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%.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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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