No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Night Cream Versus The INKEY List Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing and Plumping Moisturizer

No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced Night Cream Versus The INKEY List Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing and Plumping Moisturizer

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Retinyl Palmitate to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Sorbitan Stearate

Dimethicone

Cetearyl Alcohol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Polyacrylamide

Butylene Glycol

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Alcohol Denat.

Phenoxyethanol

Dimethiconol

Parfum

Tribehenin

Dipropylene Glycol

Sucrose Cocoate

Methylparaben

Carbomer

Laureth-7

Propylene Glycol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Ethylparaben

Retinyl Palmitate

Xanthan Gum

Hydrolyzed Rice Protein

Tetrasodium EDTA

Sorbitan Laurate

Potassium Hydroxide

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol

Medicago Sativa Extract

Polysorbate 20

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester

Morus Alba Leaf Extract

Lindera Strychnifolia Root Extract

Sodium Benzoate

Tocopherol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Water, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sorbitan Stearate, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Polyacrylamide, Butylene Glycol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Alcohol Denat., Phenoxyethanol, Dimethiconol, Parfum, Tribehenin, Dipropylene Glycol, Sucrose Cocoate, Methylparaben, Carbomer, Laureth-7, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Ethylparaben, Retinyl Palmitate, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sorbitan Laurate, Potassium Hydroxide, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Medicago Sativa Extract, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Morus Alba Leaf Extract, Lindera Strychnifolia Root Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Propanediol

Polysilicone-11

C10-18 Triglycerides

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

Cetearyl Olivate

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetyl Alcohol

Ceramide NP

Polyacrylate-13

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Laureth-12

Sorbitan Isostearate

Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Citric Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Propanediol, Polysilicone-11, C10-18 Triglycerides, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Ceramide NP, Polyacrylate-13, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Laureth-12, Sorbitan Isostearate, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide

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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.

This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.

Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).

Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.

While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

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%.

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.

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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