Elizabeth Arden Prevage + Intensive Repair Daily Serum Versus SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum

Elizabeth Arden Prevage + Intensive Repair Daily Serum Versus SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum

This serum is formulated around Ergothioneine and Retinyl Linoleate to reduce redness and fade dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cyclopentasiloxane

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Dimethicone

Methyl Trimethicone

Isododecane

Dipropylene Glycol

Glycerin

PEG-75

Polysilicone-11

Panthenyl Triacetate

Caprylyl Methicone

Propylene Glycol

Hydroxydecyl Ubiquinoyl Dipalmitoyl Glycerate

Glycereth-26

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Ergothioneine

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Retinyl Linoleate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Glycine Soja Oil

Caprylyl Glycol

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Isohexadecane

PPG-2 Isoceteth-20 Acetate

Urea

Acetyl Farnesylcysteine

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Lecithin

Lysophosphatidic Acid

Naringenin

Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-19

Quercus Suber Bark Extract

Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3

Oligopeptide-68

Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Decyl Glucoside

Lysolecithin

Polysorbate 20

Polysorbate 80

Sodium Oleate

Polyimide-1

Dextran

Hexylene Glycol

Disodium EDTA

Salicylic Acid

Mica

Tin Oxide

Aminopropyl Dimethicone

Parfum

Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone

Linalool

Benzophenone-4

Ethylparaben

Methylparaben

Phenoxyethanol

Potassium Sorbate

Propylparaben

Sodium Dehydroacetate

Sodium Methylparaben

CI 14700

CI 77891

CI 19140

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Methyl Trimethicone, Isododecane, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, PEG-75, Polysilicone-11, Panthenyl Triacetate, Caprylyl Methicone, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxydecyl Ubiquinoyl Dipalmitoyl Glycerate, Glycereth-26, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Ergothioneine, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinyl Linoleate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycine Soja Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Isohexadecane, PPG-2 Isoceteth-20 Acetate, Urea, Acetyl Farnesylcysteine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Lecithin, Lysophosphatidic Acid, Naringenin, Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-19, Quercus Suber Bark Extract, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Oligopeptide-68, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Decyl Glucoside, Lysolecithin, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Oleate, Polyimide-1, Dextran, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Salicylic Acid, Mica, Tin Oxide, Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Parfum, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool, Benzophenone-4, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Propylparaben, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Methylparaben, CI 14700, CI 77891, CI 19140

Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media

Glycereth-7 Triacetate

Shea Butter Ethyl Esters

Ethoxydiglycol

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Whey Protein

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Saccharide Isomerate

Dimer Tripeptide-43

Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Hydroxyacetophenone

Propanediol

Xanthan Gum

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Polyacrylate-13

Polyisobutene

Sclerotium Gum

PEG-12 Dimethicone

Pullulan

Sodium Citrate

Aminomethyl Propanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Pentylene Glycol, Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media, Glycereth-7 Triacetate, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Whey Protein, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Dimer Tripeptide-43, Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Sclerotium Gum, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Lecithin, Pullulan, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

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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.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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.

Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.

Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.

It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.

One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.

Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.

Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.

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.

Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.

The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.

Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.

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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