Skin science article
Olay Wrinkle Correction Serum - Vitamin B3 + Collagen Peptides Versus Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix Synchronized Recovery Complex
Olay Wrinkle Correction Serum - Vitamin B3 + Collagen Peptides Versus Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix Synchronized Recovery Complex This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look
Olay Wrinkle Correction Serum - Vitamin B3 + Collagen Peptides Versus Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix Synchronized Recovery Complex
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This barrier-repair eye moisturizer is formulated around Bifida Ferment Lysate and Caffeine to strengthen the skin barrier and soften the look of wrinkles.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Dimethicone
Glycerin
Niacinamide
Butylene Glycol
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Palmitoyl Dipeptide-7
Panthenol
Hydroxyacetophenone
Dimethiconol
Polysorbate 20
Disodium EDTA
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Carbomer
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Aminomethyl Propanol
Phenoxyethanol
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-7, Panthenol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethiconol, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Isohexadecane
Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Disteardimonium Hectorite
Isopropyl Isostearate
PPG-15 Stearyl Ether
Sucrose
Trehalose
Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract
Tripeptide-32
Faex Extract
Sodium Hyaluronate
Lactobacillus Ferment
Algae Extract
Sodium Rna
Hydrolyzed Algin
Caffeine
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
Silybum Marianum Extract
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Camelina Sativa Seed Oil
Sorbitol
Betula Alba Bark Extract
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Morus Bombycis Root Extract
Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract
Tocopheryl Acetate
Propylene Glycol Dicaprate
Sodium Polyaspartate
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Phytosphingosine
Ethylhexylglycerin
Polysilicone-11
Isododecane
Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Polyethylene
Propylene Carbonate
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Lecithin
Glucose
Fructose
T-Butyl Alcohol
BHT
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Potassium Sorbate
CI 77491
Water, Dimethicone, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Isopropyl Isostearate, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Sucrose, Trehalose, Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Tripeptide-32, Faex Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Algae Extract, Sodium Rna, Hydrolyzed Algin, Caffeine, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Silybum Marianum Extract, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Morus Bombycis Root Extract, Poria Cocos Sclerotium Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Sodium Polyaspartate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Phytosphingosine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysilicone-11, Isododecane, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Polyethylene, Propylene Carbonate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Lecithin, Glucose, Fructose, T-Butyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Hydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
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!