Skin science article
Educated Mess Freeze Frame Peptide Serum Concentrate Versus Allies of Skin Peptide & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment
Educated Mess Freeze Frame Peptide Serum Concentrate Versus Allies of Skin Peptide & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment This anti-aging serum is formulated around Resveratrol and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture
Educated Mess Freeze Frame Peptide Serum Concentrate Versus Allies of Skin Peptide & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Resveratrol and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to soften the look of wrinkles and calm redness.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Glycerin
Acetamidoethoxyethanol
Propylene Glycol
Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2
Cyclopentasiloxane
Polysorbate 20
1,2-Hexanediol
Menthyl Lactate
Resveratrol
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-50
Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-52
Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-18
Diamond Powder
Methylglucoside Phosphate
Copper Lysinate/Prolinate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Xanthan Gum
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Dimethicone
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Hydroxyacetophenone
Glyceryl Caprylate
Phenylpropanol
Phenoxyethanol
Caprylyl Glycol
Water, Glycerin, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polysorbate 20, 1,2-Hexanediol, Menthyl Lactate, Resveratrol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-50, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-52, Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-18, Diamond Powder, Methylglucoside Phosphate, Copper Lysinate/Prolinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydroxyacetophenone, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenylpropanol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Isononyl Isononanoate
Caffeine
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Niacinamide
Lactobacillus Ferment
Cetearyl Olivate
Butylene Glycol
Polysorbate 60
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Marrubium Vulgare Extract
Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-40
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Hydrolyzed Verbascum Thapsus Flower
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Teprenone
Phospholipids
Hyaluronic Acid
Syringa Vulgaris Leaf Cell Culture Extract
Sphingolipids
Astaxanthin
Bisabolol
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil
Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil
Honey
Dimethyl Isosorbide
Ceramide NP
Phenyl T-Butylnitrone
Tocopherol
Glutathione
Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane
Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane
Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane
Ergothioneine
Carbomer
Sorbitan Olivate
Benzimidazole Diamond Amidoethyl Urea Carbamoyl Propyl Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Mica
Dextran
Citric Acid
Sodium Hydroxide
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
CI 77891
Ethylhexylglycerin
Isohexadecane
Maltodextrin
Polysorbate 80
Acetyl Tributyl Citrate
Tetrasodium EDTA
Sorbitan Oleate
Sodium Benzoate
Potassium Sorbate
Sodium Glycolate
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isononyl Isononanoate, Caffeine, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Niacinamide, Lactobacillus Ferment, Cetearyl Olivate, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-40, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Hydrolyzed Verbascum Thapsus Flower, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Teprenone, Phospholipids, Hyaluronic Acid, Syringa Vulgaris Leaf Cell Culture Extract, Sphingolipids, Astaxanthin, Bisabolol, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Honey, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ceramide NP, Phenyl T-Butylnitrone, Tocopherol, Glutathione, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Ergothioneine, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Sorbitan Olivate, Benzimidazole Diamond Amidoethyl Urea Carbamoyl Propyl Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Mica, Dextran, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, CI 77891, Ethylhexylglycerin, Isohexadecane, Maltodextrin, Polysorbate 80, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sorbitan Oleate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Glycolate, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, O-Cymen-5-Ol
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Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
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.
Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
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.