Skin science article
Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream Versus The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream
Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream Versus The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream This barrier-repair eye moisturizer is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract and Hyaluronic Acid to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin. This anti-aging eye moisturi
Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream Versus The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream
This barrier-repair eye moisturizer is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract and Hyaluronic Acid to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Glycerin
Paraffinum Liquidum
Cetearyl Alcohol
Vegetable Oil
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Petrolatum
Ceteareth-20
Tocopherol
Hyaluronic Acid
Euphrasia Officinalis Extract
Tocopheryl Acetate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Propylene Glycol
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
Polyquaternium-24
Sodium Chloride
Diazolidinyl Urea
Propylparaben
Methylparaben
CI 19140
CI 15985
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vegetable Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Petrolatum, Ceteareth-20, Tocopherol, Hyaluronic Acid, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Polyquaternium-24, Sodium Chloride, Diazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, CI 19140, CI 15985
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
Propanediol
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Cetyl Alcohol
Glyceryl Behenate
Phenoxyethanol
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Jojoba Esters
Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract
Squalane
Caffeine
Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax
Phospholipids
Ethylhexylglycerin
Xanthan Gum
Glycine Soja Oil
Polysorbate 60
Sodium Phytate
Glycolipids
Sorbitan Isostearate
Butylene Glycol
Citric Acid
Glycine Soja Sterols
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Sodium Benzoate
Carbomer
Darutoside
Sodium Lactate
Polysorbate 20
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Behenate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Jojoba Esters, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Squalane, Caffeine, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Phospholipids, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja Oil, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phytate, Glycolipids, Sorbitan Isostearate, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Glycine Soja Sterols, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Darutoside, Sodium Lactate, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
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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.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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!