Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Grande Cosmetics GrandeBrow Brow Enhancing Serum Versus mia klinika Hyaluronic Acid Collagen Serum

Grande Cosmetics GrandeBrow Brow Enhancing Serum Versus mia klinika Hyaluronic Acid Collagen Serum This hydrating serum is formulated around Panthenol and Panax Ginseng Root Extract to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier. This hydrating serum is formu

Grande Cosmetics GrandeBrow Brow Enhancing Serum Versus mia klinika Hyaluronic Acid Collagen Serum

This hydrating serum is formulated around Panthenol and Panax Ginseng Root Extract to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Sodium Hyaluronate to hydrate skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Panthenol

Glycerin

Sodium Citrate

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Alanine

Alcohol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract

Arginine

Aspartic Acid

Calcium Gluconate

Caprylyl Glycol

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Ethylhexylglycerin

Gluconolactone

Glycine

Hexylene Glycol

Histidine

Honey Extract

Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans

Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Isoleucine

Isopropyl Cloprostenate

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

PCA

Phenylalanine

Polysorbate 20

Proline

Propylene Glycol

Serine

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Lactate

Sodium PCA

Threonine

Tocopheryl Acetate

Triethanolamine

Tussilago Farfara Leaf Extract

Valine

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Metabisulfite

Water, Panthenol, Glycerin, Sodium Citrate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Alanine, Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Caprylyl Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Glycine, Hexylene Glycol, Histidine, Honey Extract, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Isoleucine, Isopropyl Cloprostenate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, PCA, Phenylalanine, Polysorbate 20, Proline, Propylene Glycol, Serine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Threonine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethanolamine, Tussilago Farfara Leaf Extract, Valine, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Metabisulfite

Niacinamide

Collagen

Pentylene Glycol

PEG-12 Dimethicone

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Punica Granatum Extract

Allantoin

Tetrasodium EDTA

Niacinamide, Collagen, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Alanine is an amino acid and is already found in the human body. Our skin uses alanine to build collagen, elastin, and keratin.

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.

It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.

Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.

A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.

Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.

One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.

Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.

Aspartic Acid is an amino acid that our bodies produce naturally. It is an antioxidant.

Our body uses Aspartic Acid to help build collagen and elastin. It also plays a role in hydrating skin.

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.

Glycine is the smallest amino acid and a key building block of collagen. It's part if your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.

A study from 2022 found that an amino acid complex featuring taurine, arginine, and glycine significantly reduced skin irritation, improved redness, and accelerated the skin repair process.

Histidine is a semi-essential amino acid used by our bodies to create protein. It has humectant and skin conditioning properties.

Our bodies use histidine to create filaggrin - filaggrin is a structural protein that the skin uses in maintaining skin barrier.

One study found histidine and carnosine to be a dynamic duo for your skin:

Oral histidine has also been found to help with filaggrin-deficit skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis.

Why is it considered a semi-essential amino acid? This is because adults are able to create it but children must get it from their diet.

Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.

This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.

This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.

Isoleucine is an amino acid that helps reinforce our skin barrier. This amino acid plays a role in creating protein for the body.

Fun fact: Isoleucine is found in meat, fish, dairy, legumes, and nuts.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

PCA is an amino acid derivative and one of the star players in your skin's own Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF).

The NMF is the built-in cocktail of small molecules that keeps your outer layer of skin hydrated and your body makes it naturally.

This is why it works so well topically; PCA is a humectant that holds water in the stratum corneum and studies link higher skin PCA levels to better hydration + lower water loss. Interestingly, people show more PCA in summer and in normal vs dry skin.

Most of the benefits of this ingredient are related to hydration, softness, and barrier support.

A long-running review found that formulas with at least 2% PCA or its salts improved dry skin over both the short and long term. And the zinc salt is also used for its mild antimicrobial and astringent properties.

The salt forms are more common in cosmetics (like sodium PCA).

This ingredient is compatible with basically everything and pairs well with other humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid.

Usage-wise, it's typically used at low percentages (~0.2-2%).

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded PCA and its salts are safe as used and is non-irritating on skin even at high concentrations.

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.

Phenylalanine is an amino acid. It is a skin soothing and hydrating ingredient. Amino acids play a crucial role in wound healing and skin hydration.

This ingredient is also used to help even out skin tone due to its ability to disrupt the melanin production process.

Two structures of phenylalanine exist: L-phenylalanine and D-phenylalanine. L-phenylalanine is essential, this means our bodies cannot produce it naturally and we must get it from foods. Our bodies convert D-phenylalanine to neurotransmitters, and D-phenylalanine is found in our bodies naturally.

Some foods that contain L-phenylalanine include eggs, soybeans, beef, milk.

Proline is a non-essential amino acid, meaning your body can make it on its own. In skincare, it is a skin conditioning ingredient that keeps skin soft and hydrated.

It makes up about 23% of the collagen molecule (collagen is the protein responsible for keeping your skin firm) and is involved in your skin's natural hyaluronic acid production. When applied topically, proline can penetrate the skin fairly well due to its small molecular size.

Reviews of this ingredient have found it to be neither a dermal irritant nor a sensitizer.

Fun fact: Proline can be found in protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.

Serine is a non-essential amino acid (your body makes it on its own!). It is a major player in your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.

Serine is one of your NMF's most abundant components that works as a skin-identical humectant. Its hydroxyl group grabs onto water molecules to boost hydration without any heaviness or occlusion.

Research on a hydrogel with serine confirmed this serine got delivered to your stratum corneum and demonstrated enhanced skin moisturization.

Interestingly serine also helps your skin produce filaggrin, a protein that keeps your skin barrier strong and used to create collagen.

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.

Sodium Lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid, an AHA. It is a humectant and sometimes used to adjust the pH of a product.

This ingredient is part of our skin's NMF, or natural moisturizing factor. Our NMF is essential for the hydration of our top skin layers and plasticity of skin. NMF also influences our skin's natural acid mantle and pH, which protects our skin from harmful bacteria.

High percentages of Sodium Lactate can have an exfoliating effect.

Fun fact: Sodium Lactate is produced from fermented sugar.

Sodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.

Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.

As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.

There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.

Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.

It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.

Threonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.

Our skin uses threonine for creating collagen and elastin. Humans are not able to create threonine and must get it through eating foods such as fish, lentils, poultry, sesame seeds, and more.

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%.

Valine is one of the essential amino acids (meaning your body can't make it on its own and has to get it from food).

In skincare, it's usually synthetically-made or pulled from plant proteins like soy.

It's one of the small building blocks that make up your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the built-in system that helps skin hold onto water. So its main job in a formula is to give the skin gentle hydration and help it feel more comfortable.

Typical amounts are very tiny: roughly 0.00004%-0.5% in leave on products and up to 1% in rinse-off ones.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel has looked at this ingredient and found no evidence of it being a skin irritant or allergen at cosmetic levels.

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract comes from the grape vine. Grape seeds are a byproduct of creating grape juice or wine.

The components of grape seeds have many skin benefits. Research has found it to be antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. It also contains many potent antioxidants such as Vitamin E , Vitamin C, proanthocyanidins, polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Proanthocyanidin has been shown to help even out skin tone.

Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals by donating extra electrons. Grape seed extract may help reduce the signs of aging.

The antimicrobial properties of grape seed may help treat acne. However, more research is needed to support this claim.

Grape seed has also been found to help absorb UV rays. Grape seed extract should not replace your sunscreen.

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

Hello Glow Collagen Serum Soothing GelIngredients explained

  1. 01We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
  2. 02A natural moisturizer that’s also in our skin
  3. 03A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years
  4. 04Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier
  5. 05Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
  6. 06High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
  7. 07The famous or maybe rather infamous mineral oil. The clear oily liquid that is the "cheap by-product" of refining crude oil and the one that gets a lot of heat for its poor provenance. It is a very controversial ingredient with pros and cons and ple…
  8. 08The pros of mineral oil Trust us, if something is used for more than 100 years in cosmetic products, it has advantages. Chemically speaking, cosmetic grade mineral oil is a complex mixture of highly refined saturated hydrocarbons with C15-50 chain l…
  9. 09It is a great emollient and moisturizer working mainly by occlusivity. Occlusivity is one of the basic mechanisms of how moisturizers work and it means that mineral oil sits on top of the skin and hinders so-called trans-epidermal water loss, i.e wa…
  10. 10Expand to read more
  11. 11The other thing that mineral oil is really good at is being non-irritating to the skin. The chemical composition of plant oils is more complex with many more possible allergens or irritating components, while mineral oil is simple, pure and sensitiv…
  12. 12The cons of mineral oil The pros of mineral oil can be interpreted as cons if we look at them from another perspective. Not penetrating the skin but mostly just sitting on top of it and not containing biologically active components, like nice fatty …
  13. 13The myths around mineral oil Badmouthing mineral oil is a favorite sport of many, it is a cheap material and being connected to petrolatum makes it fairly easy to demonize.
  14. 14While it is true that industrial grade mineral oil contains carcinogenic components (so-called polycyclic compounds), these are completely removed from cosmetic and food grade mineral oil and there is no scientific data showing that the pure, cosmet…
  15. 15What is more, in terms of the general health effects of mineral oils used in cosmetics, a 2017 study reviewed the data on their skin penetration and concluded that "the cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due …
  16. 16Another super common myth surrounding mineral oil is that it is comedogenic. A 2005 study titled "Is mineral oil comedogenic?" examined this very question and guess what happened? The study concluded that "based on the animal and human data reported…
  17. 17Overall, we feel that the scaremongering around mineral oil is not justified. For dry and super-sensitive skin types it is a great option. However, if you do not like its origin or its heavy feeling or anything else about it, avoiding it has never b…
  18. 18It’s pretty much the current IT-preservative. It’s safe and gentle, but even more importantly, it’s not a feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben.
  19. 19It’s not something new: it was introduced around 1950 and today it can be used up to 1% worldwide. It can be found in nature - in green tea - but the version used in cosmetics is synthetic.
  20. 20Other than having a good safety profile and being quite gentle to the skin it has some other advantages too. It can be used in many types of formulations as it has great thermal stability (can be heated up to 85°C) and works on a wide range of pH le…
Source · incidecoder.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Luis Bien Collagen Serum

Luis Bien Collagen Serum Ingredients in Luis Bien Collagen Serum explained: benefits, concerns, and detailed analysis of 6 ingredients including Collagen, Allantoin, and Prunus Armeniaca Ke…

Source: skinsort.comView reference →

Product

Mixsoon PDRN Collagen Serum

Mixsoon PDRN Collagen Serum Ingredients in Mixsoon PDRN Collagen Serum explained: benefits, concerns, and detailed analysis of 30 ingredients including Water, Dipropylene Glycol, and Propan…

Source: skinsort.comView reference →

Product

MARY & MAY Marine Collagen Serum

MARY & MAY Marine Collagen Serum MARY & MAY Marine Collagen Serum ingredients explained: Hydrolyzed Collagen, Glycereth-26, 1,2-Hexanediol, Arginine, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl …

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side