Skin science article
Isntree Gim PDRN Hydro Bouncy Ampoule Versus MediCube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum
Isntree Gim PDRN Hydro Bouncy Ampoule Versus MediCube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum This anti-aging ampoule is formulated around Adenosine and Sodium DNA to soften the look of wrinkles. This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Sodium DNA to soften
Isntree Gim PDRN Hydro Bouncy Ampoule Versus MediCube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum
This anti-aging ampoule is formulated around Adenosine and Sodium DNA to soften the look of wrinkles.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Sodium DNA to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Butylene Glycol
Glycerin
1,2-Hexanediol
Pentylene Glycol
Betaine
Carbomer
Methylpropanediol
Tromethamine
Sodium Polyacrylate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Porphyra Yezoensis Extract
Coptis Japonica Root Extract
Adenosine
Disodium EDTA
Potentilla Anserina Extract
Polyquaternium-51
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Cynara Scolymus Leaf Extract
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Beta-Glucan
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water
Sodium DNA
Sodium Hyaluronate
Maltodextrin
Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract
Tocopherol
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Propanediol
Allantoin
Squalane
Lactobacillus Ferment
Sucrose Distearate
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
Collagen
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Codium Fragile Extract
Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic Acid
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Potassium Hyaluronate
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Betaine, Carbomer, Methylpropanediol, Tromethamine, Sodium Polyacrylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Porphyra Yezoensis Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Potentilla Anserina Extract, Polyquaternium-51, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Cynara Scolymus Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Beta-Glucan, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Sodium DNA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Maltodextrin, Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, Allantoin, Squalane, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sucrose Distearate, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Collagen, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Codium Fragile Extract, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate
Dipropylene Glycol
Isopropyl Myristate
Glycereth-26
Niacinamide
Polyglycerin-3
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Polyisobutene
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Milt Extract
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
Caprylyl Glycol
Parfum
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
Sorbitan Oleate
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Cyanocobalamin
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Ubiquinone
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Copper Tripeptide-1
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Salmon Egg Extract
Atelocollagen
Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycereth-26, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium DNA, Butylene Glycol, Polyglycerin-3, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Milt Extract, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Adenosine, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sorbitan Oleate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Cyanocobalamin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Ubiquinone, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Copper Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Salmon Egg Extract, Atelocollagen
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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
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.
The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.
A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
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.
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 DNA is an emerging anti-aging ingredient.
It is created by taking deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and purifying it with sodium hydroxide.
The DNA is extracted from several different animal sources, including: calf thymus, the gonadic tissue of a male sturgeon, or herring / salmon sperm.
You have probably seen this ingredient in anti-aging skincare. But what is it?
DNA is composed of nucleotides, or chemical building blocks. Nucleotides include adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). Talk about a flashback to biology! Nucleosides are formed from these nucleotides.
The science behind Sodium DNA is based on an ingredient called Polydeoxyribonucleotide or PDRN.
PDRN are DNA fragments mainly extracted from the sperm cells of trout or salmon. Meaning, PDRN can be derived from Sodium DNA.
PDRN consists of chains of nucleotides and nucleosides mentioned above. They can range anywhere from 80 - 2000 pairs.
Studies show PDRN has the following properties:
Most of the research on PDRN has been done using injectable forms. That’s important, because PDRN is a large molecule and doesn’t absorb well through the skin. So if you’re applying it topically, the effects are likely to be much milder.
Still, topical Sodium DNA is emerging as a trendy anti-aging ingredient. It’s generally well-tolerated and offers good biocompatibility with human skin, making it a low-risk addition to most routines.
Further studies are needed to truly confirm this ingredients anti-aging ability (Remember, retinol has decades of research!).
Sodium DNA may be sourced from fish, animal tissue, or plants. Since this isn’t always disclosed, we recommend asking the brand directly if the ingredient’s origin is important to you.
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.
Tromethamine (aka THAM) is a synthetic amino acid that shows up in skincare as a helper ingredient.
It functions as a pH adjuster to help neutralize acidic ingredients and set a formula's pH to the right spot.
This matters a lot because a lot of actives (like vitamin C) needs a specific pH to work well and feel comfortable on skin.
Concentration use ranges from 0.1-1.0% depending on the formula.
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!