Environ Skin Care Youth Essentia Vita-Peptide Eye Gel Versus Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye

Environ Skin Care Youth Essentia Vita-Peptide Eye Gel Versus Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Oligopeptide and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Retinal and Ceramide NP to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Panthenol

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Butylene Glycol

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Tribehenin

Ceramide Ng

PEG-10 Phytosterol

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Tocopheryl Acetate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate

Disodium EDTA

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Glycine Soja Oil

Retinyl Palmitate

Tocopherol

Carbomer

Polysorbate 20

Caprylyl Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Methylparaben

Sodium Hydroxide

Propylparaben

Lactic Acid

Water, Glycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Panthenol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Tribehenin, Ceramide Ng, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Disodium EDTA, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Methylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylparaben, Lactic Acid

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Propanediol

Arachidyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Isononanoate

Isododecane

Squalane

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Behenyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Stearate

Microcrystalline Cellulose

PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer

Phytosterols

Arachidyl Glucoside

Dimethicone

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Linoleic Acid

Ceramide NP

Cyclodextrin

Bisabolol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Lecithin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Retinal

Pandanus Conoideus Fruit Oil

Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Sodium Polyaspartate

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil

Xanthan Gum

Cellulose

BHT

Pentylene Glycol

Trihydroxystearin

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Propanediol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Isododecane, Squalane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phytosterols, Phenoxyethanol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Dimethicone, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopherol, Linoleic Acid, Ceramide NP, Cyclodextrin, Bisabolol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinal, Pandanus Conoideus Fruit Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Sodium Polyaspartate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Disodium EDTA, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cellulose, BHT, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Trihydroxystearin

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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.

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%.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.

It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.

The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.

The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.

Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.

One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).

This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.

On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.

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.

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

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.

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.

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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