Medik8 Crystal Retinal Versus Allies of Skin Multi Acids & Retinoid Brightening Sleeping Facial

Medik8 Crystal Retinal Versus Allies of Skin Multi Acids & Retinoid Brightening Sleeping Facial

This anti-aging serum is formulated around 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This smoothing overnight mask is formulated around Glycolic Acid and Niacinamide to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glycerin

Isododecane

Cetearyl Olivate

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Cetearyl Alcohol

PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer

Sorbitan Olivate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Cyclodextrin

Squalane

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Hydroxyacetophenone

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Sodium Hyaluronate

Phenoxyethanol

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil

Retinal

Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil

Alumina

Isostearic Acid

Lecithin

Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate

Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract

Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Polyhydroxystearic Acid

Stearic Acid

Sodium Polyaspartate

Pentylene Glycol

Citric Acid

Polysorbate 60

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

BHT

Sorbitan Isostearate

Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract

Dipteryx Odorata Bean Extract

Coumarin

CI 14700

CI 77891

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Isododecane, Cetearyl Olivate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cyclodextrin, Squalane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Retinal, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Alumina, Isostearic Acid, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Stearic Acid, Sodium Polyaspartate, Pentylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 60, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, BHT, Sorbitan Isostearate, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Dipteryx Odorata Bean Extract, Coumarin, CI 14700, CI 77891

Glycolic Acid

Polysorbate 20

Propanediol

Niacinamide

Butylene Glycol

Hydrolyzed Silk

Sodium Hydroxide

Yogurt

Lactic Acid

Salicylic Acid

Caprylyl Glycol

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment

Mel

Honey Extract

Panthenol

Allantoin

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer-3

Physalis Angulata Extract

Galactoarabinan

Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract

Dimethyl Sulfone

Zymomonas Ferment Extract

Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract

Hydrolyzed Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract

Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract

Mirabilis Jalapa Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Diglucosyl Gallic Acid

Bisabolol

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate

Rosmarinyl Glucoside

Caffeyl Glucoside

Gallyl Glucoside

Sodium Lactate

Sodium Gluconate

Maltodextrin

Sclerotium Gum

Xanthan Gum

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Tetrasodium EDTA

Water, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Silk, Sodium Hydroxide, Yogurt, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Mel, Honey Extract, Panthenol, Allantoin, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer-3, Physalis Angulata Extract, Galactoarabinan, Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract, Dimethyl Sulfone, Zymomonas Ferment Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract, Hydrolyzed Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Mirabilis Jalapa Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Bisabolol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Rosmarinyl Glucoside, Caffeyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Gluconate, Maltodextrin, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

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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.

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%.

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.

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!

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