The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum Versus The Ordinary GF 15% Solution

The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum Versus The Ordinary GF 15% Solution

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Retinol to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Oligopeptide-1 and Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

Persea Gratissima Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Squalane

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Retinol

Phenoxyethanol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Benzyl Alcohol

Phospholipids

Tocopherol

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Glycine Soja Oil

Ethylhexylglycerin

Glycolipids

Dehydroacetic Acid

Polysorbate 60

Sorbitan Isostearate

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Glycine Soja Sterols

T-Butyl Alcohol

Water, Glycerin, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Retinol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Benzyl Alcohol, Phospholipids, Tocopherol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Glycine Soja Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycolipids, Dehydroacetic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Glycine Soja Sterols, T-Butyl Alcohol

Butylene Glycol

Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76

Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Sclerotium Gum

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

Chlorphenesin

Water, Butylene Glycol, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76, Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sclerotium Gum, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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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.

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.

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.

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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