Neogen Real Bakuchiol Firming Serum Versus ISOI Intensive Lifting Serum

Neogen Real Bakuchiol Firming Serum Versus ISOI Intensive Lifting Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Bakuchiol and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Arbutin and Adenosine 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

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

Alcohol

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate

Betaine

Arbutin

Trehalose

Arachidyl Alcohol

Behenyl Alcohol

Arachidyl Glucoside

Rosa Damascena Flower Oil

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Allantoin

Panthenol

Arginine

Carbomer

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Coptis Japonica Root Extract

Castanea Crenata Shell Extract

Malpighia Glabra Fruit Extract

Corchorus Olitorius Leaf Extract

Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract

Melaleuca Viridiflora Leaf Oil

Chamomilla Recutita Flower/Leaf Extract

Centella Asiatica Extract

Citronellol

Geraniol

Farnesol

Eugenol

Water, Glycerin, Alcohol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Betaine, Arbutin, Trehalose, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Allantoin, Panthenol, Arginine, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Castanea Crenata Shell Extract, Malpighia Glabra Fruit Extract, Corchorus Olitorius Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Melaleuca Viridiflora Leaf Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower/Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Citronellol, Geraniol, Farnesol, Eugenol

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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.

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.

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%.

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 Tripeptide-5 is a synthetic signal lipopeptide. This just means it is a three amino acid chain bolted onto a palmitic acid tail so it can slip through the skin's lipid barrier.

This peptide has a "build more, lose less" approach.

It's designed to mimic the collagen-stimulating activity in your skin by copying a snippet of one of your skin's own matrix proteins. This nudges fibroblasts into making more collagen while inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down skin protein.

The manufacturer's in vivo study of 45 volunteers found 1% and 2.5% reduced the appearance of wrinkles by 7% and 12% respectively, after using it twice daily for 84 days.

This is in the expected range for peptides; they're slow and cumulative actives and not overnight fixers.

Typical use levels range from 1-3% and this ingredient gets along with pretty much everything.

On the fungal acne front: Although palmitic acid sits in the chain length that Malassezia can feed on, this ingredient has it locked in an amine bond. This makes it hard for Malassezia to access as a source of food, and therefore 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.

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