Skin science article
Educated Mess Freeze Frame Peptide Serum Concentrate Versus Regimen Lab Wave Serum 2.5
Educated Mess Freeze Frame Peptide Serum Concentrate Versus Regimen Lab Wave Serum 2.5 This anti-aging serum is formulated around Resveratrol and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This hydrating serum is formulate
Educated Mess Freeze Frame Peptide Serum Concentrate Versus Regimen Lab Wave Serum 2.5
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Resveratrol and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This hydrating serum is formulated around Acetamidoethoxyethanol and Panthenol to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No 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
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Pentylene Glycol
Betaine
Propanediol
Methyl Gluceth-20
Panthenol
Asiaticoside
Madecassic Acid
Asiatic Acid
Xylitylglucoside
Anhydroxylitol
Xylitol
Pantolactone
Lecithin
Sclerotium Gum
Pullulan
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Lactic Acid
Water, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Pentylene Glycol, Betaine, Propanediol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Panthenol, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Pantolactone, Hydroxyacetophenone, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Lactic Acid
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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.
Acetamidoethoxyethanol (long name!) is a recently developed synthetic humectant. The manufacturer claims this humectant can help keep skin moisturized for over 30 hours.
This ingredient helps bind the water molecules in the top layer of our skin using water and keratin. Keratin is a protein found in our skin that protects our skin from bacteria and infection.
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.
Hydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
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.