Skin science article
Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel Versus Eight Saints All In Eye Cream
Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel Versus Eight Saints All In Eye Cream This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This anti-aging eye mo
Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel Versus Eight Saints All In Eye Cream
This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf and Glycolic Acid to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Cyclopentasiloxane
Butylene Glycol
Pentylene Glycol
Tapioca Starch
Methyl Gluceth-20 Benzoate
Glycerin
Dimethicone
Cyclohexasiloxane
Polysilicone-11
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Niacinamide
Phospholipids
Hyaluronic Acid
Sodium Hyaluronate
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Panthenol
Salix Alba Extract
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Adenosine
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Pisum Sativum Extract
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Dunaliella Salina Extract
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
Dextran
Polysorbate 20
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Tapioca Starch, Methyl Gluceth-20 Benzoate, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Niacinamide, Phospholipids, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Panthenol, Salix Alba Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Adenosine, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Pisum Sativum Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Dextran, Polysorbate 20, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Glycolic Acid
Dimethyl Sulfone
Glyceryl Stearate
Squalane
Lactic Acid
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Cetyl Alcohol
Cetearyl Alcohol
Cetearyl Glucoside
Stearyl Alcohol
Potassium Stearate
Ascorbic Acid
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Crithmum Maritimum Extract
Matrixyl 3000
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Water
Carbomer
Arginine
Beeswax
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil
Thioctic Acid
Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Euphrasia Officinalis Extract
Helichrysum Italicum Flower Oil
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Persea Gratissima Oil
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
Sodium Hydroxide
Ubiquinone
Tocopheryl Acetate
Phytic Acid
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Sclerotium Gum
Potassium Sorbate
Pantothenic Acid
Arnica Montana Flower Oil
Lavandula Angustifolia Extract
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Chamomilla Recutita Oil
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Sodium Carbomer
Xanthan Gum
Ethylhexylglycerin
Benzyl Alcohol
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Glycolic Acid, Dimethyl Sulfone, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Squalane, Lactic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Stearyl Alcohol, Potassium Stearate, Ascorbic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Matrixyl 3000, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Water, Carbomer, Arginine, Beeswax, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Thioctic Acid, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract, Helichrysum Italicum Flower Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Ubiquinone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phytic Acid, Phospholipids, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Sclerotium Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Pantothenic Acid, Arnica Montana Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sodium Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
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.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a synthetic signal lipopeptide. This just means it is a three amino acid chain bolted onto a palmitic acid tail so it can slip through the skin's lipid barrier.
This peptide has a "build more, lose less" approach.
It's designed to mimic the collagen-stimulating activity in your skin by copying a snippet of one of your skin's own matrix proteins. This nudges fibroblasts into making more collagen while inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down skin protein.
The manufacturer's in vivo study of 45 volunteers found 1% and 2.5% reduced the appearance of wrinkles by 7% and 12% respectively, after using it twice daily for 84 days.
This is in the expected range for peptides; they're slow and cumulative actives and not overnight fixers.
Typical use levels range from 1-3% and this ingredient gets along with pretty much everything.
On the fungal acne front: Although palmitic acid sits in the chain length that Malassezia can feed on, this ingredient has it locked in an amine bond. This makes it hard for Malassezia to access as a source of food, and therefore fungal acne safe.
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.
Phospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.
In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).
Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.
They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.
Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.
Some types of phospholipids include:
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!