MediCube Ultra Light PDRN Pink Peptide Serum Versus Heveblue Salmon Caring Centella Ampoule

MediCube Ultra Light PDRN Pink Peptide Serum Versus Heveblue Salmon Caring Centella Ampoule

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Sodium DNA to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

This barrier-repair ampoule is formulated around Centella Asiatica Leaf Water and Sodium DNA to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propanediol

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Niacinamide

1,2-Hexanediol

Sodium DNA

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Adenosine

Citric Acid

Sodium Phytate

Cyanocobalamin

Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract

Fish Extract

Lecithin

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Salmon Egg Extract

Arginine

Cholesterol

Ceramide NP

Copper Tripeptide-1

Pearl Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Dipeptide-2

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Oligopeptide-1

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Tripeptide-1

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Potassium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein

Pearl Powder

Succinoyl Atelocollagen

Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium DNA, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Cyanocobalamin, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Fish Extract, Lecithin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Salmon Egg Extract, Arginine, Cholesterol, Ceramide NP, Copper Tripeptide-1, Pearl Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipeptide-2, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Oligopeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Tripeptide-1, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Pearl Powder, Succinoyl Atelocollagen

Centella Asiatica Leaf Water

Madecassoside

Portulaca Oleracea Water

Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract

Maltodextrin

Theobroma Cacao Extract

Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

Betaine

Dextrin

Carbomer

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Tromethamine

Disodium EDTA

Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Butylene Glycol, Water, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Sodium DNA, Salmon Egg Extract, Madecassoside, Portulaca Oleracea Water, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Maltodextrin, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Betaine, Dextrin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA

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.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

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.

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:

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.

It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.

Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.

Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.

Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Salmon egg extract is a marine-derived ingredient that comes from, well, salmon eggs.

At this time, the official CosIng database has not reported any functions or properties for this ingredient.

We do know that this ingredient is packed with proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, vitamins, minerals, and the powerful antioxidant, Astaxanthin.

In vitro studies show that this ingredient boosts collagen type I production and activates several important antioxidant genes. And the more extract used, the stronger the effect too.

A randomized clinical trial with 66 volunteers tested it at 1% and 5% concentrations for almost two months and found significant improvements in skin aging and overall skin health.

This ingredient is sometimes listed as Salmo Ovum Extract.

Sodium DNA is an emerging anti-aging ingredient.

It is created by taking deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and purifying it with sodium hydroxide.

The DNA is extracted from several different animal sources, including: calf thymus, the gonadic tissue of a male sturgeon, or herring / salmon sperm.

You have probably seen this ingredient in anti-aging skincare. But what is it?

DNA is composed of nucleotides, or chemical building blocks. Nucleotides include adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). Talk about a flashback to biology! Nucleosides are formed from these nucleotides.

The science behind Sodium DNA is based on an ingredient called Polydeoxyribonucleotide or PDRN.

PDRN are DNA fragments mainly extracted from the sperm cells of trout or salmon. Meaning, PDRN can be derived from Sodium DNA.

PDRN consists of chains of nucleotides and nucleosides mentioned above. They can range anywhere from 80 - 2000 pairs.

Studies show PDRN has the following properties:

Most of the research on PDRN has been done using injectable forms. That’s important, because PDRN is a large molecule and doesn’t absorb well through the skin. So if you’re applying it topically, the effects are likely to be much milder.

Still, topical Sodium DNA is emerging as a trendy anti-aging ingredient. It’s generally well-tolerated and offers good biocompatibility with human skin, making it a low-risk addition to most routines.

Further studies are needed to truly confirm this ingredients anti-aging ability (Remember, retinol has decades of research!).

Sodium DNA may be sourced from fish, animal tissue, or plants. Since this isn’t always disclosed, we recommend asking the brand directly if the ingredient’s origin is important to you.

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:

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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