Skin science article
MEDI-PEEL Peptide 9 Volume Bio Tox Ampoule Pro Versus Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum
MEDI-PEEL Peptide 9 Volume Bio Tox Ampoule Pro Versus Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum This anti-aging ampoule is formulated around Niacinamide and Adenosine to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This anti-aging serum is formulated around
MEDI-PEEL Peptide 9 Volume Bio Tox Ampoule Pro Versus Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum
This anti-aging ampoule is formulated around Niacinamide and Adenosine to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Glycerin
Butylene Glycol
Niacinamide
Sodium Lactate
1,2-Hexanediol
Gellan Gum
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Ethylhexylglycerin
Adenosine
Disodium EDTA
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract
Centella Asiatica Extract
Golden Extract
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Propanediol
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Fructan
Chamomilla Recutita Extract
Sodium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
Glycine
Caprylyl Glycol
Polysorbate 80
Serine
Glutamic Acid
Hydrolyzed Elastin
Ectoin
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
Benzyl Glycol
Aspartic Acid
Leucine
Oryza Sativa Extract
Astaxanthin
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Alanine
Lysine
Arginine
Tyrosine
Phenylalanine
Valine
Threonine
Proline
Isoleucine
Histidine
Methionine
Cysteine
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Acetyl Octapeptide-3
Tripeptide-1
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Copper Tripeptide-1
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Hexapeptide-9
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hyaluronic Acid
Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate
Nonapeptide-1
Pentylene Glycol
Hair Extract
Potassium Hyaluronate
Tocopherol
Alcohol
Parfum
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Sodium Lactate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Gellan Gum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Golden Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Propanediol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Fructan, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Glycine, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Ectoin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Benzyl Glycol, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Oryza Sativa Extract, Astaxanthin, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Valine, Threonine, Proline, Isoleucine, Histidine, Methionine, Cysteine, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Copper Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hexapeptide-9, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Nonapeptide-1, Pentylene Glycol, Hair Extract, Potassium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Alcohol, Parfum
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Panthenol
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
Dicaprylyl Ether
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Tetrapeptide-21
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14
Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate
Saccharide Isomerate
Allantoin
Cetearyl Alcohol
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Tapioca Starch
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Carbomer
Polysorbate 20
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Citric Acid
Sodium Citrate
Sodium Hydroxide
Phenoxyethanol
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Panthenol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Tetrapeptide-21, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Saccharide Isomerate, Allantoin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tapioca Starch, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, 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.
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.
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".
"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.
This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.
Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:
Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.
A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.
Fungal acne note: Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.
That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.
Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.
Human clinical data is promising, but modest:
A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.
A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.
You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.
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%.
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!