Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream Versus Peach & Lily Peptide Pro Firming Moisturizer

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream Versus Peach & Lily Peptide Pro Firming Moisturizer This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Ceramide NP and Ceramide AP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin. This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Col

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream Versus Peach & Lily Peptide Pro Firming Moisturizer

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Ceramide NP and Ceramide AP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Collagen Extract and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Cetearyl Alcohol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cetyl Alcohol

Ceteareth-20

Petrolatum

Potassium Phosphate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Dimethicone

Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Cholesterol

Phenoxyethanol

Disodium EDTA

Dipotassium Phosphate

Tocopherol

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Petrolatum, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin

Butylene Glycol

Sorbitol

Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

1,2-Hexanediol

Hydrogenated Polydecene

C10-18 Triglycerides

Stearic Acid

Cetearyl Glucoside

Collagen Extract

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Dipeptide-2

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Copper Tripeptide-1

Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Nonapeptide-1

Hexapeptide-9

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Serine

Methionine

Cysteine

Arginine

Tremella Fuciformis Extract

Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate

Polyglutamic Acid

Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Squalane

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Glyceryl Glucoside

Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate

Prunus Mume Fruit Extract

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Adenosine

Sorbitan Stearate

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Origanum Majorana Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract

Phellinus Linteus Extract

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Glucose

Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract

Pentylene Glycol

Caprylyl Glycol

Tropolone

Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil

Water, Butylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Polydecene, C10-18 Triglycerides, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Collagen Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Dipeptide-2, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Copper Tripeptide-1, Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Nonapeptide-1, Hexapeptide-9, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Serine, Methionine, Cysteine, Arginine, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Polyglutamic Acid, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Glucoside, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Panax Ginseng Callus Culture Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Adenosine, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Stearate, Carbomer, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Origanum Majorana Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Glucose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tropolone, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil

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.

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%.

Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.

Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.

It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.

Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.

A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

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.

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.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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!

Similar Comparisons

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 Side-by-side

  1. 01Water
  2. 02Ethylhexyl Palmitate
  3. 03Isopropyl Palmitate
  4. 04Glycerin
  5. 05Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
  6. 06Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
  7. 07Propanediol
  8. 08Glyceryl Stearate Se
  9. 09Cetearyl Alcohol
  10. 10Sodium Hyaluronate
  11. 11Ectoin
  12. 12Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
  13. 13Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
  14. 14Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
  15. 15Heptapeptide-6
  16. 16Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
  17. 17Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
  18. 18Resveratrol
  19. 19Linolenic Acid
  20. 20Linoleic Acid
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

Read side by side