SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum Versus ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Serum

SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum Versus ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Pentylene Glycol

Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media

Glycereth-7 Triacetate

Shea Butter Ethyl Esters

Glycerin

Ethoxydiglycol

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Whey Protein

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Saccharide Isomerate

Dimer Tripeptide-43

Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Hydroxyacetophenone

Tocopheryl Acetate

Propanediol

Xanthan Gum

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Polyacrylate-13

Polyisobutene

Sclerotium Gum

PEG-12 Dimethicone

Lecithin

Pullulan

Butylene Glycol

Sodium Citrate

Polysorbate 20

Aminomethyl Propanol

Disodium EDTA

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Pentylene Glycol, Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media, Glycereth-7 Triacetate, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Whey Protein, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Dimer Tripeptide-43, Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Sclerotium Gum, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Lecithin, Pullulan, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Cyclopentasiloxane

Dipropylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol

Dimethicone

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer

PEG-12 Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Sodium Phosphate

Panthenyl Triacetate

Phospholipids

Magnesium Sulfate

Hydrolyzed Sericin

Ethyl Linoleate

Buddleja Davidii Meristem Cell Culture

Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract

Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate

Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate

Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate

Acetyl Tyrosine

Dimethiconol

Oleyl Alcohol

Proline

Parfum

Tocopherol

Beta-Glucan

Adenosine Triphosphate

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Sodium Chloride

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, PEG-12 Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sodium Phosphate, Panthenyl Triacetate, Phospholipids, Magnesium Sulfate, Hydrolyzed Sericin, Ethyl Linoleate, Buddleja Davidii Meristem Cell Culture, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Acetyl Tyrosine, Dimethiconol, Oleyl Alcohol, Proline, Parfum, Tocopherol, Beta-Glucan, Adenosine Triphosphate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol

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.

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.

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.

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.

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