Skin science article
Medik8 Eyelift Peptides Versus The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum
Medik8 Eyelift Peptides Versus The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This anti-aging eye moisturizer
Medik8 Eyelift Peptides Versus The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum
This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Alcohol Denat.
Glycerin
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Xanthan Gum
Tribehenin
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Benzyl Alcohol
Butylene Glycol
Steareth-20
Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Ceramide Ng
PEG-10 Phytosterol
Dehydroacetic Acid
Glycine Soja Protein
Sodium Benzoate
Superoxide Dismutase
Phenoxyethanol
Benzoic Acid
Sorbic Acid
Dipeptide-2
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Chrysin
Carbomer
Potassium Sorbate
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Polysorbate 20
N-Hydroxysuccinimide
Sodium Dextran Sulfate
Tocopherol
Water, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Tribehenin, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Benzyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Steareth-20, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Ceramide Ng, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Glycine Soja Protein, Sodium Benzoate, Superoxide Dismutase, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Chrysin, Carbomer, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Polysorbate 20, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Tocopherol
Propanediol
Dipropylene Glycol
Acetyl Glucosamine
Niacinamide
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Caffeine
Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
Gallyl Glucoside
Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract
Silanetriol
Arginine
Pentylene Glycol
Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone
Propyl Gallate
Maltodextrin
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Citric Acid
Glycolic Acid
Sodium Citrate
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Chlorphenesin
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Acetyl Glucosamine, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Caffeine, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract, Silanetriol, Arginine, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Propyl Gallate, Maltodextrin, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
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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.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
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.
Dehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
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.
Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it 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!
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.