Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum Versus Plum Goodness Bakuchiol & Retinol 1% Serum

Deconstruct Retinol & Peptide Serum Versus Plum Goodness Bakuchiol & Retinol 1% Serum

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

This serum is formulated around Retinyl Palmitate to brighten and support scar healing.

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

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Sucrose

Propanediol

Squalane

Isodecyl Neopentanoate

Retinyl Palmitate

Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract

Hydrolyzed Rice Protein

Hydrolyzed Pea Protein

Glycine

Proline

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Psoralea Corylifolia Extract

Benzyl Alcohol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Caprylyl Glycol

Sorbitol

Cyclodextrin

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Isohexadecane

Polysorbate 60

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sucrose, Propanediol, Squalane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Retinyl Palmitate, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Glycine, Proline, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Psoralea Corylifolia Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Glycerin, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitol, Cyclodextrin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

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.

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.

Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:

It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

This is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.

It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.

Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.

Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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