Nip + Fab Ceramide Fix Overnight Cream 12% Versus IMAGE skincare Ilium Intense Brightening Crème

Nip + Fab Ceramide Fix Overnight Cream 12% Versus IMAGE skincare Ilium Intense Brightening Crème

This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Azelaic Acid to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

This brightening night moisturizer is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Squalane

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate

Polyglycerin-6

Ethylhexylglycerin

Azelaic Acid

C15-19 Alkane

Myristyl Myristate

Glyceryl Stearate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Acetyl Hexapeptide-1

Niacinamide

PEG-100 Stearate

Phenoxyethanol

Inulin

Benzyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Betaine

Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide

Citronellyl Methylcrotonate

Xanthan Gum

Sodium Hydroxide

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Dehydroacetic Acid

Phytosphingosine

Cholesterol

Carbomer

Glucose

Caprylyl Glycol

Water, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Polyglycerin-6, Ethylhexylglycerin, Azelaic Acid, C15-19 Alkane, Myristyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1, Niacinamide, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Inulin, Benzyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Betaine, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Citronellyl Methylcrotonate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Carbomer, Glucose, Caprylyl Glycol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Bellis Perennis Flower Extract

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate

Cetyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Elaeis Guineensis Oil

Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil

Stearic Acid

Bidens Pilosa Extract

Citrus Grandis Peel Oil

Limonene

Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Ceteth-10 Phosphate

Dicetyl Phosphate

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Hexylene Glycol

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer

Tocopheryl Acetate

Aminomethyl Propanol

Polysorbate 60

Alcohol Denat.

Phenethyl Alcohol

Lecithin

Sorbitan Isostearate

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil

Methyl Undecylenoyl Dipeptide-16

Disodium Phosphate

Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract

Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract

Citral

Tocopherol

Ergothioneine

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Bellis Perennis Flower Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Bidens Pilosa Extract, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ceteth-10 Phosphate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Squalane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Polysorbate 60, Alcohol Denat., Phenethyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Methyl Undecylenoyl Dipeptide-16, Disodium Phosphate, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Citral, Tocopherol, Ergothioneine

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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.

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).

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

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.

Glyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Peg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.

PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.

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.

Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).

It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.

This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.

Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.

Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.

No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).

Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.

This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.

Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.

Read more about squalene with an "e".

Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.

The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.

Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.

A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.

The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.

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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