Lancer Skincare Soothing Serum Versus Skin Actives Scientific High Potency EGF Serum

Lancer Skincare Soothing Serum Versus Skin Actives Scientific High Potency EGF Serum

This calming serum is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Boswellia Serrata Extract to calm redness and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Sh-Oligopeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propanediol

Butylene Glycol

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Glycerin

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Glycine Soja Extract

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Boswellia Serrata Extract

Honey Extract

Sea Whip Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Aspalathus Linearis Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Tetrapeptide-14

Hyaluronic Acid

Lecithin

Dextran

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8

Rosmarinyl Glucoside

Caffeyl Glucoside

Gallyl Glucoside

Gluconolactone

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Disodium EDTA

1,2-Hexanediol

Mica

Tin Oxide

Sodium Benzoate

Phenoxyethanol

CI 42090

CI 77891

Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycine Soja Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Boswellia Serrata Extract, Honey Extract, Sea Whip Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrapeptide-14, Hyaluronic Acid, Lecithin, Dextran, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Rosmarinyl Glucoside, Caffeyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Gluconolactone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Mica, Tin Oxide, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 42090, CI 77891

Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate

Sodium PCA

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Caprylyl Glycol

Sorbic Acid

Water, Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons