Skin science article
Q + A Peptide Serum Versus REVOX B77 Just Peptides 10% Serum
Q + A Peptide Serum Versus REVOX B77 Just Peptides 10% Serum This anti-aging serum is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder and Tripeptide-29 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin. This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl T
Q + A Peptide Serum Versus REVOX B77 Just Peptides 10% Serum
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder and Tripeptide-29 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Propylene Glycol
Betaine
Pentylene Glycol
Xanthan Gum
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Sodium Phytate
Glycerin
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Sodium Levulinate
Tripeptide-29
Sodium Hyaluronate
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Magnesium PCA
Lactic Acid
Glyceryl Caprylate
Cocoyl Proline
Sodium Anisate
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Citric Acid
Water, Propylene Glycol, Betaine, Pentylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Sodium Phytate, Glycerin, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Sodium Levulinate, Tripeptide-29, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Magnesium PCA, Lactic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Cocoyl Proline, Sodium Anisate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid
Butylene Glycol
Polysorbate 20
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Pectin
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Serine
Arginine
Proline
Phenoxyethanol
PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Pectin, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Serine, Arginine, Proline, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Disodium EDTA
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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.
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.
Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
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!
Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.