Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

IntraCeuticals Collagen Serum Versus Chanel N°1 de Chanel Revitalizing Serum

IntraCeuticals Collagen Serum Versus Chanel N°1 de Chanel Revitalizing Serum This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Oligopeptide and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin. This anti-aging serum is formulated aro

IntraCeuticals Collagen Serum Versus Chanel N°1 de Chanel Revitalizing Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Oligopeptide and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Soluble Collagen

Sodium Hyaluronate

Anogeissus Leiocarpus Bark Extract

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Propanediol

Butylene Glycol

Vegetable Oil

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Dicaprylyl Ether

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate

Lauryl Glucoside

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Citric Acid

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Glyceryl Oleate

Carbomer

Polysorbate 20

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Glycerin, Soluble Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Anogeissus Leiocarpus Bark Extract, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Vegetable Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Lauryl Glucoside, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glyceryl Oleate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Benzoate

Camellia Japonica Flower Water

Pentylene Glycol

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Faex

Coffea Arabica Seed Oil

Camellia Japonica Flower Extract

Parfum

Chlorphenesin

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Xanthan Gum

Chondrus Crispus Powder

Adenosine

Lactic Acid

Saccharide Isomerate

Camellia Japonica Flower Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Water, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Faex, Coffea Arabica Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Parfum, Chlorphenesin, Citric Acid, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Adenosine, Lactic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

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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).

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

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.

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".

"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.

This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.

Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:

Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.

You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.

A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.

Fungal acne note: Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

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

Royal Beauty Collagen Serum + Vitamin C SerumIngredients explained

  1. 01An optical isomer of naturally occurring arbutin (or beta-arbutin). Just like its sibling, alpha-arbutin is also a skin-brightening, depigmenting agent.
  2. 02Researching the difference between the two kinds of arbutin, you can read in multiple places on the internet that alpha-arbutin is stronger in effect. Unfortunately, it's never backed up with a credible source. :( Our own research resulted in confli…
  3. 03Expand to read more
  4. 04None of the studies we could find is in-vivo (made on real people) anyways, so who knows. We think you cannot go wrong with trying both beta- and alpha-arbutin and see if one works better for you than the other.
  5. 05Good 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.
  6. 06It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
  7. 07Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
  8. 08One 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.
  9. 09We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
  10. 10Butylene glycol, or let’s just call it BG, is a multi-tasking colorless, syrupy liquid. It’s a great pick for creating a nice feeling product.
  11. 11BG’s main job is usually to be a solvent for the other ingredients. Other tasks include helping the product to absorb faster and deeper into the skin (penetration enhancer), making the product spread nicely over the skin (slip agent), and attracting…
  12. 12It’s an ingredient whose safety hasn’t been questioned so far by anyone (at least not that we know about). BG is approved by Ecocert and is also used enthusiastically in natural products. BTW, it’s also a food additive.
  13. 13A big molecule created from repeated subunits (a polymer of acrylic acid) that magically converts a liquid into a nice gel formula. It usually has to be neutralized with a base (such as sodium hydroxide) for the thickening to occur and it creates vi…
  14. 14Centella Asiatica - or sometimes also called Gotu Kola or Cica - has been used in folk medicine for hundreds of years. It’s traditionally used to improve small wounds, burns and scratches and it’s also a well known anti-inflammatory agent for eczema.
  15. 15Recently science has taken an interest in Gotu Kola as well and it turns out it really has many active compounds with several benefits. Just for hard-core geeks, the main biologically active compounds are pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins called asi…
  16. 16One of the biological activities of the centellosides is to be able to stimulate GAGs (glycosaminoglycans - polysaccharides that are part of the liquidy stuff between our skin cells), and especially hyaluronic acid synthesis in our skin. This is pro…
  17. 17Madecassoside can also help in burn wound healing through increasing antioxidant activity and enhancing collagen synthesis. Asiaticoside was shown to increase antioxidant levels on rats skin when applied at 0.2%.
  18. 18Centella Asiatica also often shows up in products that try to treat cellulite or striae. Of course, it cannot make a miracle but it might have some effect via regulating microcirculation and normalizing the metabolism in the cells of connective tissues.
  19. 19Bottom line: Gotu Kola is a great plant ingredient with proven wound healing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Nice to spot on any ingredient list.
  20. 20The big and important protein molecule that usually comes from animal skin such as fish or bovine. The gist of the "collagen in topical skincare" subject is to know that collagen in a jar has nothing to do with wrinkles but everything to do with ski…
Source · incidecoder.com
02

Product index

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Comparison edit

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