Saturday Skin Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream with Avocado Versus The INKEY List Brighten-I Eye Cream

Saturday Skin Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream with Avocado Versus The INKEY List Brighten-I Eye Cream

This brightening eye moisturizer is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Sh-Oligopeptide-1 to brighten dull-looking skin.

This eye moisturizer is formulated around Punica Granatum Seed Oil to hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Cyclopentasiloxane

Trehalose

Pentylene Glycol

Polyglycerin-3

Pyrus Malus Seed Oil

1,2-Hexanediol

Pyrus Malus Fruit Water

Citrus Limon Peel Oil

Juniperus Mexicana Oil

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

Citrus Grandis Peel Oil

Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil

Phoenix Dactylifera Seed

Hydrolyzed Avocado Protein

Dipentaerythrityl Hexa C5-9 Acid Esters

Cyclohexasiloxane

Glyceryl Stearate

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

PEG-100 Stearate

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Propanediol

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

PEG-11 Methyl Ether Dimethicone

Tromethamine

PEG/PPG-19/19 Dimethicone

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Ascorbic Acid

Cholesterol

PEG-800

Polysorbate 20

Maltodextrin

Saccharide Hydrolysate

Polyglutamic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Sh-Polypeptide-22

Sh-Polypeptide-45

Sh-Polypeptide-8

Sh-Polypeptide-9

Cetearyl Alcohol

Xanthan Gum

Disodium EDTA

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trehalose, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglycerin-3, Pyrus Malus Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pyrus Malus Fruit Water, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Phoenix Dactylifera Seed, Hydrolyzed Avocado Protein, Dipentaerythrityl Hexa C5-9 Acid Esters, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Propanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-11 Methyl Ether Dimethicone, Tromethamine, PEG/PPG-19/19 Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Cholesterol, PEG-800, Polysorbate 20, Maltodextrin, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Polyglutamic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-22, Sh-Polypeptide-45, Sh-Polypeptide-8, Sh-Polypeptide-9, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA

Dimethicone

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters

Punica Granatum Seed Oil

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Mica

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Benzyl Alcohol

Polysilicone-11

Hydroxyacetophenone

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Sodium Gluconate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Silica

Dehydroacetic Acid

Diglucosyl Gallic Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Trihydroxystearin

Tin Oxide

Glucomannan

CI 77891

Water, Dimethicone, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Mica, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Polysilicone-11, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Silica, Dehydroacetic Acid, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Trihydroxystearin, Tin Oxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glucomannan, CI 77891

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.

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.

As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.

It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.

A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

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.

Glyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

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!

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