Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum Versus K-Secret Seoul 1988 Eye Cream : Retinal Liposome 4% + Fermented Bean

Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum Versus K-Secret Seoul 1988 Eye Cream : Retinal Liposome 4% + Fermented Bean This anti-aging serum is formulated around Retinol to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formul

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum Versus K-Secret Seoul 1988 Eye Cream : Retinal Liposome 4% + Fermented Bean

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Retinol to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Retinal and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Rosa Damascena Flower Water

Pisum Sativum Extract

Pentylene Glycol

Lecithin

Retinol

Betaine

Polysorbate 20

Potassium Phosphate

Glycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Palmaria Palmata Extract

Xanthan Gum

Amylopectin

Magnesium Aspartate

Zinc Gluconate

Copper Gluconate

Sodium Gluconate

Hyaluronic Acid

Tocopheryl Acetate

Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Pisum Sativum Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Lecithin, Retinol, Betaine, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Phosphate, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Xanthan Gum, Amylopectin, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Sodium Gluconate, Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate

Dipropylene Glycol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

1,2-Hexanediol

Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Niacinamide

Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Butylene Glycol

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil

Carbomer

Tromethamine

Propanediol

Glyceryl Stearate

Cholesterol

Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate

Adenosine

Brassica Campestris Sterols

Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate

Retinal

Silica

Disodium EDTA

Aluminum/Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate

Lactobacillus

Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment

Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract

Saccharomyces/Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Ferment Filtrate

Saccharomyces/Potato Extract Ferment Filtrate

Tocopherol

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Arctium Lappa Root Extract

Cnidium Officinale Root Extract

Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract

Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract

Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Bakuchiol

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Niacinamide, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cholesterol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Retinal, Silica, Disodium EDTA, Aluminum/Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate, Lactobacillus, Lactobacillus/Rice Ferment, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Saccharomyces/Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Potato Extract Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Bakuchiol, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

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.

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 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. 03Retinol is one of the most studied anti-aging ingredients in skincare (and for good reason!).
  4. 04It's a form of vitamin A that your skin converts into Retinoic Acid, the active molecule that actually does the work in your cells.
  5. 05That conversion happens in two steps: your skin first turns Retinol into Retinaldehyde (also called Retinal), then turns Retinaldehyde into Retinoic Acid.
  6. 06Retinol is converted to biologically active retinoic acid via retinaldehyde by dehydrogenases in a two-step oxidation process.
  7. 07Each step is a little "upgrade" toward the active form which is part of why Retinol is gentler than prescription Retinoic Acid; your skin does the work gradually. This also explains where Retinol sits in the retinoid family.
  8. 08Here is the retinoid family ranked roughly by strength: Retinyl Esters (like Retinyl Palmitate) < Retinol < Retinaldehyde < Retinoic Acid.
  9. 09Retinoid activity increases in that order, while tolerance runs in reverse; retinyl esters are the gentlest and retinoic acid the most irritating.
  10. 10The more conversion steps an ingredient needs, the gentler (and slower) it tends to be, so Retinol lands in a nice middle spot. It's more effective than the esters, gentler than prescription options.
  11. 11Once it becomes Retinoic Acid, it binds to receptors inside your cells' nuclei (called RARs and RXRs). These receptor pairs bind to specific DNA motifs called retinoic acid response elements and act like switches that turn certain genes on or off.
  12. 12In practice, this means a few things happen in a formula. It:
  13. 13That last two are worth a closer look.
  14. 14A study that tested Retinol directly (not just prescription Retinoic Acid) found that four weeks of retinol thickened the epidermis and switched on the genes for Collagen I and Collagen III, with more procollagen I and III showing up in the skin. An…
  15. 15Retinoids more broadly stimulate the skin's synthesis of hyaluronan and other glycosaminoglycans, part of what gives skin a plumper, more hydrated look over time.
  16. 16So even the gentler OTC form is doing real structural work (not just sitting on the surface).
  17. 17It's also worth knowing Retinol isn't only a wrinkle ingredient; it can help with uneven tone, dark spots, rough texture, and the look of pores as well because it speeds up turnover and influences pigment.
  18. 18The research backs this up as well.
  19. 19A pooled analysis of six clinical studies found that 0.1% stabilized retinol improved all signs of photoaging versus vehicle as early as week 4 and through 12 weeks, with only a few mild cases of irritation.
  20. 20Another study comparing concentrations found that 0.3% and 1% Retinol were similarly effective at remodeling photodamaged skin, but 0.3% caused fewer adverse reactions when used daily (a useful reminder that more isn't always better).
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum

Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum Ingredients in Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum explained: benefits, concerns, and detailed analysis of 21 ingredients including Water, Rosa Damascena…

Source: skinsort.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side

Continue reading

Related articles