Is Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance Versus NeoStrata Skin Active Triple Therapy Lifting Serum

Is Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance Versus NeoStrata Skin Active Triple Therapy Lifting Serum

This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Retinol to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Gluconolactone to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Ascorbic Acid

Laureth-4

Alcohol Denat.

Pentylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol

Triethanolamine

Tocopherol

Glycerin

Bioflavonoids

Retinol

Olea Europaea Leaf Extract

Zinc Sulfate

Polyporus Umbellatus Extract

Arbutin

Polysorbate 20

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Ascorbic Acid, Laureth-4, Alcohol Denat., Pentylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Bioflavonoids, Retinol, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Zinc Sulfate, Polyporus Umbellatus Extract, Arbutin, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol

PEG-8

Gluconolactone

1,2-Hexanediol

Cyclopentasiloxane

PEG-12 Dimethicone

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Acetyl Tyrosinamide

Cyclohexasiloxane

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Dimethiconol

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Polyacrylate-13

Polyisobutene

Isopropyl Myristate

Sodium Sulfite

BHT

Ammonium Hydroxide

Caprylyl Glycol

Xanthan Gum

Methyldihydrojasmonate

2,6-Dimethyl-7-Octen-2-Ol

Ethyl Acetoacetate

Methyl Benzodioxepinone

Chlorphenesin

CI 17200

CI 42090

Water, PEG-8, Gluconolactone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Acetyl Tyrosinamide, Cyclohexasiloxane, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Dimethiconol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Isopropyl Myristate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Sulfite, BHT, Ammonium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Methyldihydrojasmonate, 2,6-Dimethyl-7-Octen-2-Ol, Ethyl Acetoacetate, Methyl Benzodioxepinone, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, CI 17200, CI 42090

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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.

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.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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.

Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.

It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.

The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.

Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).

True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.

Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.

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!

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