Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel Versus The INKEY List Brighten-I Eye Cream

Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel Versus The INKEY List Brighten-I Eye Cream This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine to soften the look of wrinkles. This eye moisturizer is formulated around Punica Granatum Seed Oil to hydrate ski

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel Versus The INKEY List Brighten-I Eye Cream

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine to soften the look of wrinkles.

This eye moisturizer is formulated around Punica Granatum Seed Oil to hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propanediol

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

1,2-Hexanediol

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Corn Starch Modified

Ilex Paraguariensis Leaf Extract

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Panthenol

Allantoin

Adenosine

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hyaluronic Acid

Caffeine

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5

Cichorium Intybus Root Extract

Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Corn Starch Modified, Ilex Paraguariensis Leaf Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Adenosine, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Caffeine, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Cichorium Intybus Root Extract

Dimethicone

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glyceryl Stearate

Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters

Punica Granatum Seed Oil

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Mica

Phenoxyethanol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Benzyl Alcohol

Polysilicone-11

Hydroxyacetophenone

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Sodium Gluconate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Silica

Dehydroacetic Acid

Diglucosyl Gallic Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Trihydroxystearin

Tin Oxide

Glucomannan

CI 77891

Water, Dimethicone, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Mica, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Polysilicone-11, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Silica, Dehydroacetic Acid, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Trihydroxystearin, Tin Oxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glucomannan, CI 77891

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.

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.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
  4. 04It 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.
  5. 05On 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.
  6. 06Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
  7. 07You'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.
  8. 08Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
  9. 09Safety-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.
  10. 10Adverse 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.
  11. 11Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
  12. 12You'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 damag…
  13. 13Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
  14. 14It 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.
  15. 15This 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.
  16. 16This 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.
  17. 17In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
  18. 18Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream

The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream The Inkey List Retinol Eye Cream ingredients explained: Aqua (Water/Eau), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Distearat…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →

Product

The Inkey List Caffeine Serum

The Inkey List Caffeine Serum The Inkey List Caffeine Serum ingredients explained: Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taura…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side

Continue reading

Related articles