Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream Versus Murad City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream Versus Murad City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil and Sh-Oligopeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin. This barrier-repair

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream Versus Murad City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil and Sh-Oligopeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Ectoin and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Glycerin

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil

Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract

Nymphaea Alba Root Extract

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Sh-Polypeptide-9

Sh-Polypeptide-11

Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14

Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Alanine

Arginine

Glycine

Histidine

Isoleucine

Phenylalanine

Proline

Serine

Threonine

Valine

Acetyl Glutamine

Coconut Alkanes

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Aspartic Acid

Linoleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Lecithin

Butylene Glycol

Polyvinyl Alcohol

Sodium Lactate

Sodium PCA

PCA

Sorbitan Isostearate

Carbomer

Polysorbate 20

Polysorbate 60

Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Xanthan Gum

Isomalt

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Chlorphenesin

Phenoxyethanol

Tocopherol

Sodium Benzoate

Phenylpropanol

Glyceryl Caprylate

Symphytum Officinale Callus Culture Extract

Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract, Nymphaea Alba Root Extract, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-9, Sh-Polypeptide-11, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Alanine, Arginine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Valine, Acetyl Glutamine, Coconut Alkanes, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aspartic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sorbitan Isostearate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 60, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Isomalt, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Phenylpropanol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Symphytum Officinale Callus Culture Extract

Shea Butter Ethyl Esters

Isodecyl Neopentanoate

Jojoba Esters

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Synthetic Beeswax

Dimethicone

Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides

Ectoin

Marrubium Vulgare Extract

Allantoin

Zingiber Officinale Root Extract

Brassica Campestris Sterols

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Hordeum Vulgare Extract

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract

Urea

Yeast Amino Acids

Trehalose

Inositol

Taurine

Betaine

Bisabolol

Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid

Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides

Propylene Glycol Dicaprate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Hexyldecanol

Pentylene Glycol

4-T-Butylcyclohexanol

Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide

Stearic Acid

Disodium Carboxyethyl Siliconate

Aminomethyl Propanol

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Parfum

Limonene

Linalool

Benzyl Salicylate

CI 77891

Water, Glycerin, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Synthetic Beeswax, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides, Ectoin, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Allantoin, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Bisabolol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hexyldecanol, Pentylene Glycol, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, Stearic Acid, Disodium Carboxyethyl Siliconate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, CI 77891

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.

Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.

As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.

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.

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.

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.

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. 02Dicaprylyl Carbonate
  3. 03Glycerin
  4. 04Cetearyl Alcohol
  5. 05Cetearyl Olivate
  6. 06Sorbitan Olivate
  7. 07Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
  8. 08Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract
  9. 09Nymphaea Alba Root Extract
  10. 10Sh-Oligopeptide-1
  11. 11Sh-Oligopeptide-2
  12. 12Sh-Polypeptide-1
  13. 13Sh-Polypeptide-9
  14. 14Sh-Polypeptide-11
  15. 15Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14
  16. 16Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate
  17. 17Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
  18. 18Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
  19. 19Alanine
  20. 20Arginine
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

03

Comparison edit

Read side by side