Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Eye Cream Versus Lancôme Absolue Eye Cream

Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Eye Cream Versus Lancôme Absolue Eye Cream

This brightening eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Adenosine to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Dimethicone

Niacinamide

Propylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Panthenol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hydroxyacetophenone

Dimethiconol

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Polysorbate 20

Laureth-4

Laureth-7

Disodium EDTA

Tapioca Starch

Polyacrylamide

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Aminomethyl Propanol

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Phenoxyethanol

Ascorbic Acid

Avena Sativa Peptide

Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethiconol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-4, Laureth-7, Disodium EDTA, Tapioca Starch, Polyacrylamide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbic Acid, Avena Sativa Peptide

Cyclohexasiloxane

Alcohol Denat.

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Stearic Acid

Stearyl Alcohol

Cetyl Alcohol

Palmitic Acid

PEG-100 Stearate

Glyceryl Stearate

Beeswax

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Octyldodecanol

CI 77891

CI 19140

CI 16035

Zea Mays Oil

Mica

Tocopheryl Acetate

Escin

Tocopherol

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol

Hydrolyzed Linseed Extract

Sodium Benzoate

Adenosine

PEG-20 Stearate

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Polysorbate 80

Chlorhexidine Digluconate

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Tin Oxide

Propanediol

Isohexadecane

Capryloyl Salicylic Acid

Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer

Myristic Acid

Sorbitan Oleate

Geraniol

Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil

Rose Extract

Rosa Damascena Flower Oil

Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Citronellol

Citric Acid

Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

Oryza Sativa Bran Oil

Parfum

Water, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Beeswax, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Octyldodecanol, CI 77891, CI 19140, CI 16035, Zea Mays Oil, Mica, Tocopheryl Acetate, Escin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol, Hydrolyzed Linseed Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, PEG-20 Stearate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polysorbate 80, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Panthenol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tin Oxide, Propanediol, Propylene Glycol, Isohexadecane, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Myristic Acid, Sorbitan Oleate, Geraniol, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Rose Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citronellol, Citric Acid, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Parfum

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

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.

Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.

As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.

The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.

True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).

It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.

Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.

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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