Dr. Different Vitalift-A Forte Versus Allies of Skin Retinal 0.1% & Peptides Advanced Repair Night Cream

Dr. Different Vitalift-A Forte Versus Allies of Skin Retinal 0.1% & Peptides Advanced Repair Night Cream

This anti-aging treatment is formulated around Retinal and Ceramide NP to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Retinal and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Glycerin

Squalane

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Brassica Campestris Sterols

Cholesterol

Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate

1,2-Hexanediol

Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Polyglutamic Acid

Ceramide NP

Retinal

Stearic Acid

Oleic Acid

Tocopherol

Adenosine

Disodium EDTA

Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Squalane, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Cholesterol, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglutamic Acid, Ceramide NP, Retinal, Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid, Tocopherol, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Propanediol

Punica Granatum Seed Oil

Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Beta-Glucan

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment

Ubiquinone

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Madecassoside

Asiaticoside

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Panthenol

Arginine

Glycolipids

Ornithine

Bisabolol

Lecithin

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Levulinic Acid

Polysorbate 60

Sorbitan Isostearate

Cyclodextrin

Phytosteryl Macadamiate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Phospholipids

Hexapeptide-8

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Xanthan Gum

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Caprylyl Glycol

Potassium Sorbate

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Water, Glycerin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Beta-Glucan, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Ubiquinone, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Arginine, Glycolipids, Ornithine, Retinal, Bisabolol, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Levulinic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Cyclodextrin, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phospholipids, Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.

Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.

This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.

A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.

Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.

Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.

Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.

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.

Retinal (aka retinaldehyde) is a form of retinoid that formulators use mainly as an antiaging and skin-renewing active.

What makes it special is its position in the retinoid family; skin converts it to retinoic acid (the prescription gold standard) in just one step.

Because retinal only requires 1 conversion step to become retinoic acid, it's the strongest over-the-counter retinoid. It also works at lower concentrations than retinol, since retinal is about 10x more bioavailable.

Studies back up its efficacy in skin:

A foundational trial showed that applying 0.05-0.5% retinal for 1-3 months produced a dose-dependent and significant increase in epidermal thickness + cell turnover markers.

And a head-to-head comparison of 0.05% retinal against a 0.05% retinoid acid found both formulations were effective for the basis of wrinkle/skin roughness features, but retinoic acid caused more local irritation.

More recent controlled trials confirm it improves wrinkles, dermal density, and firmness over 12-24 weeks, with significant improvements in skin texture and firmness (particularly with the higher 0.1% concentration).

Retinal also has one trick the other retinoids do not: it directly fights against acne bacteria since a clinical study showed retinaldehyde-treated areas displayed a significant decrease in counts of viable P. acnes.

This makes it a great pick for people who want to treat aging and breakouts.

Typical cosmetic use sits in the 0.05-0.1% range with 0.05% being the gentle starting point and 0.1% giving stronger results.

Like all retinoids, retinal works best with nightly use, a good moisturizer, and daytime sunscreen. It can cause some irritation so ease into it slowly rather than going all in.

The "ramp up" method works well: start with Retinal once a week to give your skin time to adjust, which keeps irritation low.

Slowly add more nights until you reach your goal frequency once your skin feels comfortable.

Retinoids also make your skin more sensitive to the sun in the first few weeks, so wear sunscreen every morning and protect your skin from direct sun while you build up tolerance.

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!

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