MediCube PDRN Pink Collagen Exosome Shot Versus The INKEY List Exosome Hydro-Glow Complex Serum

MediCube PDRN Pink Collagen Exosome Shot Versus The INKEY List Exosome Hydro-Glow Complex Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Sodium DNA to soften the look of wrinkles.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Ectoin and Ubiquinone to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Dipropylene Glycol

Glycerin

Niacinamide

Sodium Polyacrylate

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Cetearyl Olivate

Phenyl Trimethicone

Sorbitan Olivate

Hydrolyzed Sponge

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate

Adenosine

Disodium EDTA

Pvm/Ma Copolymer

Panthenol

Lactobacillus Extracellular Vesicles

Cyanocobalamin

Sodium DNA

Milk Exosomes

Collagen Extract

Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Alcohol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Polysorbate 20

Retinol

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Cholesterol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Brassica Campestris Sterols

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Ceteth-3

Ceteth-5

Tocopheryl Acetate

Hydrolyzed Elastin

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Potassium Hyaluronate

Water, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Sodium Polyacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydrolyzed Sponge, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Panthenol, Lactobacillus Extracellular Vesicles, Cyanocobalamin, Sodium DNA, Milk Exosomes, Collagen Extract, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Alcohol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polysorbate 20, Retinol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Cholesterol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ceteth-3, Ceteth-5, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate

Propanediol

Coconut Alkanes

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Dimethicone

Ectoin

Phenoxyethanol

Allantoin

Lecithin

Ubiquinone

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Sodium Phytate

Pentylene Glycol

Hydrolyzed Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Dextran

Tripeptide-1

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Coconut Alkanes, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Dimethicone, Ectoin, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Allantoin, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Lecithin, Ubiquinone, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Dextran, Tripeptide-1

Reviews

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.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

Cetearyl Olivate is a plant-derived emulsifier and texture enhancer. It helps keep the oil and water phases from separating so your formulas stay stable.

You'll likely see it combined with Sorbitan Olivate (together sold as the trade name Olivem 1000). This combination generates a liquid crystal structure that closely resemble the lipid organization of the stratum corneum.

These "skin-like" liquid crystals improve skin barrier integrity and promote the delivery of actives into the skin.

This ingredient is well-tolerated and has no significant sensitization data.

Because it is derived from the fatty acids in olive oil, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.

This ingredient helps:

Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.

As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.

Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.

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.

This ingredient is created by putting sodium hyaluronate through hydrolysis.

You might know this as 'mini' or 'ultra low-molecular weight' hyaluronic acid. The small molecule size means it is able to travel deeper in the skin.

According to studies, low molecular-weight hyaluronic acid can:

One study from 2011 found ultra-low weight HA to show pro-inflammatory properties. Another study from 2022 found it to downregulate UV-B induced inflammation.

Hydrolysis is a process of changing a molecule using water or enzymes.

This ingredient is water-soluble.

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.

Sorbitan Olivate is created from the fatty acids in olive oil and sorbitol.

This ingredient is an oil in water emulsifier. It helps stabilize a product by preventing oils and waters from separating. Sorbitan Olivate also helps hydrate the skin.

This ingredient is also known as part of Olivem 1000, with Cetearyl Olivate being the other part.

According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps preserve the natural microbiome of skin. Having a healthy microbiome helps keep our skin healthy and protects against harmful bacteria.

Please note, having a healthy microbiome is different from fungal acne; a healthy microbiome includes small amounts of yeast that normally live on your skin without causing problems.

Fungal acne happens when one type of yeast (Malassezia) grows out of control. This is usually because it's feeding on certain oils or fatty acids. Due to the olive oil base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

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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