Cetaphil Bright Healthy Radiance Brightening Night Comfort Cream Versus First Aid Beauty Firming Collagen Cream With Peptides + Niacinamide

Cetaphil Bright Healthy Radiance Brightening Night Comfort Cream Versus First Aid Beauty Firming Collagen Cream With Peptides + Niacinamide

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

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Niacinamide

Butylene Glycol

Hydrogenated Polydecene

1,2-Hexanediol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Olivate

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Sorbitan Olivate

Beeswax

Vinyldimethicone

Anhydroxylitol

Citric Acid

Ethylhexylglycerin

Glyceryl Stearate

Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrolyzed Cicer Seed Extract

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Pancratium Maritimum Extract

Pentasodium Pentetate

Propanediol

Rhododendron Chrysanthum Leaf Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Tocopherol

Tricholoma Matsutake Extract

Trideceth-10

Xylitol

Xylitylglucoside

Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Sorbitan Olivate, Beeswax, Vinyldimethicone, Anhydroxylitol, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Cicer Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Pentasodium Pentetate, Propanediol, Rhododendron Chrysanthum Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tocopherol, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Trideceth-10, Xylitol, Xylitylglucoside

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Palmitic Acid

Stearic Acid

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Dimethicone

Panthenol

Colloidal Oatmeal

Collagen

Squalane

Ceramide NP

Hexapeptide-9

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Allantoin

Saccharomyces Ferment

Caprylyl Glycol

Lauroyl Lysine

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Xanthan Gum

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Colloidal Oatmeal, Collagen, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Hexapeptide-9, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Allantoin, Saccharomyces Ferment, Caprylyl Glycol, Lauroyl Lysine, Butylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide

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.

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.

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.

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 Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

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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