Minimalist Vitamin K + Retinal 01% Eye Cream Versus The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream

Minimalist Vitamin K + Retinal 01% Eye Cream Versus The INKEY List Caffeine Eye Cream

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Retinal to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Niacinamide

Dimethicone

Propanediol

Caffeine

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Brassica Glycerides

Diisopropyl Sebacate

Maltodextrin

Glyceryl Glucoside

Behenyl Alcohol

Butylene Glycol

Phytonadione Epoxide

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Pentylene Glycol

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Zerumbone

N-Hydroxysuccinimide

Dipeptide-2

Steareth-20

Chrysin

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Xanthan Gum

Retinal

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone

Phenoxyethanol

Carbomer

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Ethylhexylglycerin

Citric Acid

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Caffeine, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Brassica Glycerides, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Maltodextrin, Glyceryl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Phytonadione Epoxide, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Zerumbone, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Dipeptide-2, Steareth-20, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Xanthan Gum, Retinal, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate

Cetyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Behenate

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Jojoba Esters

Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract

Squalane

Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax

Phospholipids

Glycine Soja Oil

Polysorbate 60

Sodium Phytate

Glycolipids

Sorbitan Isostearate

Glycine Soja Sterols

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Benzoate

Tocopherol

Darutoside

Sodium Lactate

Polysorbate 20

Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Behenate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Jojoba Esters, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Squalane, Caffeine, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Phospholipids, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja Oil, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phytate, Glycolipids, Sorbitan Isostearate, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Glycine Soja Sterols, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Darutoside, Sodium Lactate, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

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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.

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.

Caffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.

As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.

Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.

You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.

Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.

Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.

Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.

Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.

It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.

Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.

A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.

As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.

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.

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".

"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.

This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.

Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:

Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.

You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.

A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.

Fungal acne note: Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.

That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.

Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.

In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.

Human clinical data is promising, but modest:

A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.

A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.

You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.

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.

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.

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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