NeoStrata Skin Active Triple Therapy Lifting Serum Versus The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

NeoStrata Skin Active Triple Therapy Lifting Serum Versus The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

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

This hydrating treatment is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

PEG-8

Gluconolactone

1,2-Hexanediol

Cyclopentasiloxane

Glycerin

Pentylene Glycol

PEG-12 Dimethicone

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Acetyl Tyrosinamide

Cyclohexasiloxane

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Dimethiconol

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Polyacrylate-13

Polyisobutene

Isopropyl Myristate

Polysorbate 20

Sodium Sulfite

BHT

Ammonium Hydroxide

Caprylyl Glycol

Xanthan Gum

Methyldihydrojasmonate

2,6-Dimethyl-7-Octen-2-Ol

Ethyl Acetoacetate

Methyl Benzodioxepinone

Phenoxyethanol

Chlorphenesin

CI 17200

CI 42090

Water, PEG-8, Gluconolactone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Acetyl Tyrosinamide, Cyclohexasiloxane, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Dimethiconol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Isopropyl Myristate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Sulfite, BHT, Ammonium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Methyldihydrojasmonate, 2,6-Dimethyl-7-Octen-2-Ol, Ethyl Acetoacetate, Methyl Benzodioxepinone, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, CI 17200, CI 42090

Sodium Hyaluronate

Propanediol

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Panthenol

Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Citric Acid

Isoceteth-20

Ethoxydiglycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol

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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

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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.

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!

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