Medik8 Daily Radiance Vitamin C Versus Hydropeptide Power Lift

Medik8 Daily Radiance Vitamin C Versus Hydropeptide Power Lift

This brightening day moisturizer is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and Tocopheryl Acetate to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate

Dibutyl Adipate

Dimethicone

Ethylhexyl Triazone

Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Coco-Glucoside

Phenoxyethanol

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Cetearyl Glucoside

Tocopheryl Acetate

Hydroxyacetophenone

Disodium EDTA

Benzoic Acid

Xanthan Gum

Citrus Grandis Peel Oil

Sodium Hydroxide

Dehydroacetic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate

Citrus Limon Peel Oil

Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil

Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil

Ethylhexylglycerin

Limonene

Citronellol

Linalool

Geraniol

Citral

Water, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Dibutyl Adipate, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Disodium EDTA, Benzoic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Limonene, Citronellol, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral

Butylene Glycol

Silybum Marianum Ethyl Ester

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Echinacea Purpurea Extract

Behenyl Alcohol

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate

Isononyl Isononanoate

Arachidyl Alcohol

Ethylhexyl Isononanoate

Oryza Sativa Bran

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Panthenol

Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine

Caprylyl Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Arachidyl Glucoside

Menthoxypropanediol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Sorbitan Laurate

Squalane

Cyclodextrin

Buddleja Davidii Extract

O-Cymen-5-Ol

Polysorbate 60

Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Sodium Benzoate

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Pyridoxine Tris-Hexyldecanoate

Arbutin

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Tropolone

Myristoyl Tripeptide-31

Sodium Metabisulfite

Hexapeptide-10

Diacetyl Boldine

Triethyl Citrate

Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Salvia Officinalis Oil

Cupressus Sempervirens Oil

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil

Coriandrum Sativum Fruit Oil

Salvia Sclarea Oil

Fucus Vesiculosus Extract

Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract

Rosa Damascena Flower Extract

Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Water, Butylene Glycol, Silybum Marianum Ethyl Ester, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Behenyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Oryza Sativa Bran, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Panthenol, Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Menthoxypropanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Laurate, Squalane, Cyclodextrin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Buddleja Davidii Extract, Disodium EDTA, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polysorbate 60, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Pyridoxine Tris-Hexyldecanoate, Arbutin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tropolone, Myristoyl Tripeptide-31, Sodium Metabisulfite, Hexapeptide-10, Diacetyl Boldine, Triethyl Citrate, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Coriandrum Sativum Fruit Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.

As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.

It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.

A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Cetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.

Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.

Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.

Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is the oil from the bergamot orange and is primarily used as a fragrance. It has a "fresh" and "bright orange" scent.

The main aroma compounds found in this ingredient are limonene (~27-52%), linalool (~2-22%), and linalyl acetate (~27-40%). These are known EU fragrance allergens.

The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.

When used topically, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is a photosensitizer due to the furanocoumarin content. Furanocoumarins absorb UV-A and cause phytophotodermatitis; this can look like redness, blistering, and lasting brown pigmentation on sun-exposed skin.

Due to this, this ingredient is capped at 0.4% in leave-on products applied to sun exposed skin.

Many modern formulas used a "furanocoumarin-free" version that sidesteps the phototoxicity issue, but still contains the fragrance allergens.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

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.

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THD) is a stable and oil-soluble form of Vitamin C.

THD is special in that it has the ability to travel deeper into skin than traditional ascorbic acid while maintaining the same skin benefits (double win!).

Because it’s oil-soluble, THD dives deep into your skin’s fatty layers (think ceramides and cholesterol) to fight off the kind of free radicals that mess with your skin barrier. This makes it a great pair with water-based vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that mainly works on the surface.

Even at just 0.1%, THD is already showing great antioxidant activity. When used up to 2%, it helps keep your skin happy and calm, especially when it’s stressed from pollution or sun.

Want to fade dark spots or tackle hyperpigmentation? You’ll want 5% or more. Pairing it with brightening buddies like niacinamide or licorice root gives even better results. One study even used 30% THD with other brighteners and saw real results on stubborn discoloration, even in melasma-prone skin.

A note on THD: It’s has a slightly silky, oily texture and usually shows up colorless or pale yellow (though the exact shade can vary by supplier).

While you can sneak it into water-based formulas, it really shines when paired with silicones or oils, which help your skin soak it up better.

THD is pretty stable, but it’s still vulnerable to degradation like ascorbic acid. Too much light or heat (above 113°F / 45°C) can break it down over time. Go for dark and opaque packaging that keeps it safe and shady!

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.

Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.

It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.

One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.

Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.

Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.

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.

Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.

The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.

Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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