Skin science article
Neogen Real Bakuchiol Firming Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Revive Repair Serum: Ginseng + Snail Mucin
Neogen Real Bakuchiol Firming Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Revive Repair Serum: Ginseng + Snail Mucin This anti-aging serum is formulated around Bakuchiol and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This calming serum is formulated
Neogen Real Bakuchiol Firming Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Revive Repair Serum: Ginseng + Snail Mucin
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Bakuchiol and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This calming serum is formulated around Panax Ginseng Root Water and Snail Secretion Filtrate to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Butylene Glycol
Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract
Glycerin
1,2-Hexanediol
Niacinamide
Glycereth-26
Diglycerin
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Tromethamine
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
Ethylhexylglycerin
Xanthan Gum
Adenosine
Polyglycerin-3
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Salvia Sclarea Oil
Bakuchiol
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Squalane
Sodium Hyaluronate
Dipropylene Glycol
Dextrin
Cyanocobalamin
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Guaiazulene
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Ascorbic Acid
Tocopheryl Acetate
Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Lupinus Albus Seed Extract
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Caprylyl Glycol
Tocopherol
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Water, Butylene Glycol, Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Glycereth-26, Diglycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Polyglycerin-3, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Bakuchiol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipropylene Glycol, Dextrin, Cyanocobalamin, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Guaiazulene, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Panax Ginseng Root Water
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Propanediol
Trehalose
Carbomer
Centella Asiatica Extract
Ganoderma Lucidum Extract
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Malt Extract
Sodium Polyacrylate
Disodium EDTA
Phellinus Linteus Extract
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Forsythia Suspensa Fruit Extract
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Panax Ginseng Root Water, Water, Butylene Glycol, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Trehalose, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Malt Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Adenosine, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Forsythia Suspensa Fruit Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
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
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.
The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.
A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
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.
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
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.
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer is made up of glycerin and polyacrylic acid. It helps hydrate your skin as a humectant.
This ingredient forms a hydrogel that delivers moisturizing, water-based ingredients to the skin. It is also used to thicken a product and to give it a smooth texture.
Acrylic acid itself is toxic, but the polymer form (this ingredient) is too large to penetrate skin, making it non-toxic.
Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
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.
Tromethamine (aka THAM) is a synthetic amino acid that shows up in skincare as a helper ingredient.
It functions as a pH adjuster to help neutralize acidic ingredients and set a formula's pH to the right spot.
This matters a lot because a lot of actives (like vitamin C) needs a specific pH to work well and feel comfortable on skin.
Concentration use ranges from 0.1-1.0% depending on the formula.
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.