Skin science article
Estée Lauder NightWear Plus Moisturizer Anti-Oxidant Night Detox Creme Versus Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 + Peptide Night Moisturizer
Estée Lauder NightWear Plus Moisturizer Anti-Oxidant Night Detox Creme Versus Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 + Peptide Night Moisturizer This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Ethylbisiminomethylguaiacol Manganese Chloride to stren
Estée Lauder NightWear Plus Moisturizer Anti-Oxidant Night Detox Creme Versus Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 + Peptide Night Moisturizer
This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Ethylbisiminomethylguaiacol Manganese Chloride to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Retinol and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Dimethicone
Glycerin
Polysorbate 60
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Hydrogenated Polydecene
Propanediol
Squalane
Sorbitan Stearate
Cetyl Palmitate
Tridecyl Stearate
Laminaria Saccharina Extract
Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Gentiana Lutea Root Extract
Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract
Citrus Reticulata Peel Extract
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
Hydrolyzed Rice Extract
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Fumaria Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Thermus Thermophillus Ferment
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Saccharomyces Lysate Extract
Limonium Vulgare Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Ethylbisiminomethylguaiacol Manganese Chloride
Palmitoyl Hydroxypropyltrimonium Amylopectin/Glycerin Crosspolymer
Artemia Extract
Cholesterol
Algae Extract
Linoleic Acid
Dimethiconol
Isohexadecane
Sodium Hyaluronate
Lecithin
Tridecyl Trimellitate
Lauryl Alcohol
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Trehalose
Sucrose
Ergothioneine
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate
Acetyl Glucosamine
Ethylhexylglycerin
Butylene Glycol
Glyceryl Stearate
Behenyl Alcohol
Caffeine
Palmitic Acid
Sodium PCA
Stearic Acid
Urea
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Tocopheryl Acetate
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Cetyl Alcohol
Myristyl Alcohol
Polyquaternium-51
Citric Acid
Sodium Hydroxide
Polysorbate 80
Sodium Benzoate
Fumaric Acid
Cyclodextrin
Parfum
Disodium EDTA
BHT
Phenoxyethanol
Chlorphenesin
Linalool
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
Benzyl Salicylate
CI 42090
CI 19140
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Propanediol, Squalane, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Tridecyl Stearate, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract, Citrus Reticulata Peel Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Fumaria Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Limonium Vulgare Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Ethylbisiminomethylguaiacol Manganese Chloride, Palmitoyl Hydroxypropyltrimonium Amylopectin/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Artemia Extract, Cholesterol, Algae Extract, Linoleic Acid, Dimethiconol, Isohexadecane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Lauryl Alcohol, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Trehalose, Sucrose, Ergothioneine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Caffeine, Palmitic Acid, Sodium PCA, Stearic Acid, Urea, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Cetyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Polyquaternium-51, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Benzoate, Fumaric Acid, Cyclodextrin, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Benzyl Salicylate, CI 42090, CI 19140
Tapioca Starch
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Retinol
Retinyl Propionate
Niacinamide
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Polyacrylamide
C13-14 Isoparaffin
DMDM Hydantoin
Polysorbate 20
Laureth-4
Laureth-7
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Aminomethyl Propanol
Titanium Dioxide
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Tapioca Starch, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Retinol, Retinyl Propionate, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, DMDM Hydantoin, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-4, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Laureth-7, Dimethiconol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Aminomethyl Propanol, Titanium Dioxide, Disodium EDTA, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
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.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Dimethiconol is a silicone that resembles the popular dimethicone. Like other silicones, it is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
This ingredient helps to create a silky texture and improve spreadability. Due to its high molecular weight and thickness, it is often combined with cyclopentasiloxane.
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.
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!