Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

IMAGE skincare Biome+ Cleansing Comfort Balm Versus Dermalogica Daily Glycolic Cleanser

IMAGE skincare Biome+ Cleansing Comfort Balm Versus Dermalogica Daily Glycolic Cleanser This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry. This glycolic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Glycolic Acid to exfoliate and smoo

IMAGE skincare Biome+ Cleansing Comfort Balm Versus Dermalogica Daily Glycolic Cleanser

This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

This glycolic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Glycolic Acid to exfoliate and smooth skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Glycerin

Squalane

Propanediol

Pentylene Glycol

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Chlorphenesin

Withania Somnifera Root Extract

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

Sodium Hydroxide

Limonene

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Lactic Acid

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Tocopherol

Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil

Helianthus Annuus Leaf/Stem Extract

Barosma Betulina Leaf Oil

Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract

Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glycerin, Squalane, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Lactic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Helianthus Annuus Leaf/Stem Extract, Barosma Betulina Leaf Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Glycolic Acid

PEG-6 Cocamide

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Hydroxyacetophenone

Succinoglycan

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Urea

Allantoin

Polyquaternium-51

Trehalose

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate

Glyceryl Oleate

Coconut Acid

T-Butyl Alcohol

Coco-Glucoside

Sodium PCA

Sodium Chloride

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, PEG-6 Cocamide, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Succinoglycan, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Urea, Allantoin, Polyquaternium-51, Trehalose, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Glyceryl Oleate, Coconut Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, T-Butyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium PCA, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene

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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.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil is oil from the peel of an orange fruit.

Limonene and linalool make up the majority of oils from citrus peels. Limonene has a "citrus" fragrance. Citrus peels also contain flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties.

Citrus peel is also a rich source of flavonoids. Flavonoids are natural antioxidants and help protect your skin against damage. Flavonoids are a group of compounds naturally found in vegetables and fruits.

The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.

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.

Limonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.

It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".

Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.

When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.

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.

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

Image Skincare Prevention+ Daily Ultimate Protection Mosturizer Spf 50+Ingredients explained

  1. 01An oil-soluble chemical sunscreen agent that protects the skin from UVB (295-315 nm) with a peak protection at 306 nm. Homosalate is not a strong UV filter in and of itself (gives only SPF 4.3 protection at max. allowed 10% concentration) and it is …
  2. 02Regarding Homosalate's safety profile, we do not have the best news. In-vitro (made in the labs) studies have shown that it might have some estrogenic activity. Do not panic, these studies were not conducted on real humans under real world condition…
  3. 03Expand to read more
  4. 04As of 2020, Homosalate is permitted to be used up to 10% in the EU and 15% in the US, but the EU is currently considering restricting it to only 1.4% (probably taking effect from 2022).
  5. 05A colorless to light yellowish oily liquid that works as a UVB (280-320nm) sunscreen filter with a peak absorbance at 306 nm. It's not a strong filter in itself, it's always used in combination with other sunscreen agents to further enhance the SPF …
  6. 06It has a good safety profile and is allowed to be used at a max concentration of 5% both in the US and in Europe (10% is allowed in Japan).
  7. 07An oil-soluble chemical sunscreen agent that protects skin in the UVB and somewhat in the UVA II range with a peak absorption of 304 nm. Its protection is not strong enough on its own but it is quite photostable (loses 10% of SPF protection in 95 mi…
  8. 08Octocrylene's safety profile is generally quite good, though a review study in Contact Dermatitis reports an "increasing number of patients with photo contact allergy to octocrylene." Mainly adults with ketoprofen-sensitivity and children with sensi…
  9. 09When it comes to sunscreen agents, Zinc Oxide is pretty much in a league of its own. It's a physical (or inorganic) sunscreen that has a lot in common with fellow inorganic sunscreen Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) but a couple of things make it superior ev…
  10. 10If physical sunscreens don't tell you anything, go ahead and read about the basics here. Most of what we wrote about Titanium Dioxide is also true for Zinc Oxide so we will focus here on the differences.
  11. 11The first main difference is that while TiO2 gives a nice broad spectrum protection, Zinc Oxide has an even nicer and even broader spectrum protection. It protects against UVB, UVA II, and UVA I almost uniformly, and is considered to be the broadest…
  12. 12It's also highly stable and non-irritating. So much so that Zinc Oxide also counts as a skin protectant and anti-irritant. It's also often used to treat skin irritations such as diaper rash.
  13. 13As for the disadvantages, Zinc Oxide is also not cosmetically elegant. It leaves a disturbing whitish tint on the skin, although, according to a 2000 research paper by Dr. Pinnell, it's slightly less white than TiO2. Still, it's white and disturbing…
  14. 14We wrote more about nanoparticles and the concerns around them here, but the gist is that if nanoparticles were absorbed into the skin that would be a reason for legitimate health concerns. But luckily, so far research shows that sunscreen nanoparti…
  15. 15All in all, if you've found a Zinc Oxide sunscreen that you are happy to use every single day, that's fantastic and we suggest you stick with it. It's definitely one of the best, or probably even the best option out there for sun protection availabl…
  16. 16Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
  17. 17It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
  18. 18Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
  19. 19One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
  20. 20A super common emollient that makes your skin feel nice and smooth. It comes from coconut oil and glycerin, it’s light-textured, clear, odorless and non-greasy. It’s a nice ingredient that just feels good on the skin, is super well tolerated by ever…
Source · incidecoder.com
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Comparison edit

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