Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel Versus Environ Skin Care Youth Essentia Vita-Peptide Eye Gel

Paula's Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel Versus Environ Skin Care Youth Essentia Vita-Peptide Eye Gel

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 Palmitoyl Oligopeptide and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.

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

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Tribehenin

Ceramide Ng

PEG-10 Phytosterol

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Tocopheryl Acetate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Glycine Soja Oil

Retinyl Palmitate

Tocopherol

Carbomer

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Methylparaben

Sodium Hydroxide

Propylparaben

Lactic Acid

Water, Glycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Panthenol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Tribehenin, Ceramide Ng, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Disodium EDTA, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Methylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylparaben, Lactic Acid

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.

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.

Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.

It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.

The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.

Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).

True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.

Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.

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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