Kiehl's Micro-Dose Anti-Aging Retinol Serum with Ceramides and Peptide Versus Youth To The People Triple Peptide + Cactus Oasis Serum

Kiehl's Micro-Dose Anti-Aging Retinol Serum with Ceramides and Peptide Versus Youth To The People Triple Peptide + Cactus Oasis Serum

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

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Niacinamide

Cetyl Alcohol

Isohexadecane

Isononyl Isononanoate

Diisopropyl Sebacate

2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol

4-T-Butylcyclohexanol

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Adenosine

Ceramide NP

Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine

Lauroyl Lysine

Octyldodecanol

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Sodium Chloride

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hydroxide

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Retinol

Tocopherol

Dicaprylyl Ether

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Behenyl Alcohol

Caprylyl Glycol

Carbomer

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Glycine Soja Oil

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Lecithin

Phenethyl Alcohol

Poloxamer 188

Polycaprolactone

Sorbitan Laurate

Steareth-100

CI 40800

Chlorphenesin

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Cetyl Alcohol, Isohexadecane, Isononyl Isononanoate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Adenosine, Ceramide NP, Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine, Lauroyl Lysine, Octyldodecanol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Retinol, Tocopherol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Behenyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glycine Soja Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Lecithin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Poloxamer 188, Polycaprolactone, Sorbitan Laurate, Steareth-100, CI 40800, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-28

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Synthetic Sapphire

Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract

Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Nephelium Lappaceum Peel Extract

Sodium PCA

Glutathione

Malachite Extract

Citric Acid

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Polyglutamic Acid

1,2-Hexanediol

Sodium Lactate

Propanediol

Polysorbate 20

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-28, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Synthetic Sapphire, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Nephelium Lappaceum Peel Extract, Sodium PCA, Glutathione, Malachite Extract, Citric Acid, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Polyglutamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Carbomer, Propanediol, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

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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.

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.

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).

Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.

Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.

It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.

Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.

A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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