Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum Versus StriVectin Hyaluronic Tripeptide Gel-Cream for Eyes

Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum Versus StriVectin Hyaluronic Tripeptide Gel-Cream for Eyes This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This anti-aging eye moi

Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum Versus StriVectin Hyaluronic Tripeptide Gel-Cream for Eyes

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dimethicone

Glycerin

Niacinamide

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Polyethylene

Panthenol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Allantoin

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Dimethiconol

Laureth-4

Laureth-7

Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate

Disodium EDTA

Polyacrylamide

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

1,2-Hexanediol

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Phenoxyethanol

Titanium Dioxide

Mica

Iron Oxides

Caprylyl Glycol

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polyethylene, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Allantoin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dimethiconol, Laureth-4, Laureth-7, Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate, Disodium EDTA, Polyacrylamide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides, Caprylyl Glycol, C13-14 Isoparaffin

Isododecane

Pentylene Glycol

Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate

Myristyl Nicotinate

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Butylene Glycol

Carbomer

CI 77891

Sodium Hydroxide

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Citrus Medica Vulgaris Fruit Extract

Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Parfum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Isohexadecane

Carnosine

Sodium Hyaluronate

Benzophenone-4

Sodium Lactate

Glycine Soja Oil

Alumina

Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate

Dunaliella Salina Extract

Lupinus Albus Seed Extract

Sodium PCA

Diglucosyl Gallic Acid

Bacillus/Sea Salt Ferment Filtrate

Citric Acid

Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer

Lecithin

Sodium Benzoate

Polyhydroxystearic Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Oryza Sativa Extract

Benzyl Benzoate

Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Limonene

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Pantolactone

Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer

Silica

Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract

Linalool

Plankton Extract

Citral

Citronellol

Tocopherol

Geraniol

Benzyl Salicylate

Benzyl Alcohol

CI 42090

Water, Isododecane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Myristyl Nicotinate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Caprylyl Glycol, Panthenol, CI 77891, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citrus Medica Vulgaris Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Carnosine, Disodium EDTA, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Lactate, Glycine Soja Oil, Alumina, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Sodium PCA, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Bacillus/Sea Salt Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Oryza Sativa Extract, Benzyl Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Limonene, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Pantolactone, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Silica, Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract, Linalool, Plankton Extract, Citral, Citronellol, Tocopherol, Geraniol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, CI 42090

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

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).

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

Dimethicone Crosspolymer is a silicone created by modifying dimethicone with hydrocarbon side chains. Due to its large size, it does not penetrate skin. It is considered non-occlusive.

Dimethicone Crosspolymer is used to stabilize and thicken products. It also helps give products a silky feel.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

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.

Polymethylsilsesquioxane is a silicone used as a film forming agent.

When applied to the skin, this ingredient creates an invisible film on the surface. This film still allows oxygen to pass through, but prevents moisture from escaping. This can help condition and hydrate the skin. It also leaves a silky feel when applied.

Polymethylsilsesquioxane has not been shown to clog pores. It has been deemed safe to use up to 55%, but most cosmetics use much less.

If you have concerns about using this ingredient, we recommend speaking with a professional.

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!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum

Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum Ingredients in Olay Eyes Eye Lifting Serum explained: benefits, concerns, and detailed analysis of 27 ingredients including Water, Dimethicone, and Glycerin A ey…

Source: skinsort.comView reference →

Product

Olay Eyes Brightening Eye Cream

Olay Eyes Brightening Eye Cream Olay Eyes Brightening Eye Cream ingredients explained: Water, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Isostearate, Tapioca Starch, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Caffei…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →

Product

Olay Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream

Olay Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream Olay Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream ingredients explained: Aqua, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Isohexadecane, Isoprop…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side