Skin science article
rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid Versus iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Green Machine Skin Transforming Oil Jelly Serum
rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid Versus iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Green Machine Skin Transforming Oil Jelly Serum This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and soften the look of wrinkles. This
rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid Versus iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Green Machine Skin Transforming Oil Jelly Serum
This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and soften the look of wrinkles.
This brightening serum is formulated around Tranexamic Acid and Niacinamide to fade the look of dark spots and calm redness.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Butylene Glycol
Glycerin
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Niacinamide
Tetradecane
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Diheptyl Succinate
Benzyl Alcohol
Glyceryl Oleate
Sucrose Palmitate
Hydroxyacetophenone
Carbomer
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Caprylyl Glycol
Sodium Hydroxide
Disodium Phosphate
Sodium Phosphate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Dilauryl Thiodipropionate
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Tetradecane, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Diheptyl Succinate, Benzyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Oleate, Sucrose Palmitate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dilauryl Thiodipropionate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Tranexamic Acid
Isosorbide Dicaprylate
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil
Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Oil
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Xanthan Gum
Kojic Acid
Lactic Acid
Alpha-Arbutin
Arthrospira Platensis Extract
Persea Gratissima Oil
Crithmum Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate
Punica Granatum Seed Extract
Collagen Amino Acids
Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Origanum Vulgare Oil
Thymus Vulgaris Oil
Curcuma Longa Leaf Extract
Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract
Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Citric Acid
Maltodextrin
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
1,2-Hexanediol
Potassium Sorbate
Sodium Benzoate
Amber Powder
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tranexamic Acid, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Niacinamide, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Oil, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Xanthan Gum, Kojic Acid, Lactic Acid, Alpha-Arbutin, Arthrospira Platensis Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil, Crithmum Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate, Punica Granatum Seed Extract, Collagen Amino Acids, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Origanum Vulgare Oil, Thymus Vulgaris Oil, Curcuma Longa Leaf Extract, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Maltodextrin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Amber Powder, Hydroxyacetophenone
Reviews
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.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
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.
Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
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!