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The INKEY List Glucoside Serum Versus Niod Modulating Glucosides

The INKEY List Glucoside Serum Versus Niod Modulating Glucosides This calming treatment is formulated around Squalane and Bisabolol to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier. What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Water

The INKEY List Glucoside Serum Versus Niod Modulating Glucosides

This calming treatment is formulated around Squalane and Bisabolol to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Sodium Carbomer

Benzyl Alcohol

Phenoxyethanol

Citric Acid

Tocopheryl Acetate

Dehydroacetic Acid

Caffeyl Glucoside

Rosmarinyl Glucoside

Ethylhexylglycerin

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Alcohol

Pentylene Glycol

Gallyl Glucoside

Pinus Cembra Wood Extract

Water, Glycerin, Sodium Carbomer, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Caffeyl Glucoside, Rosmarinyl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Gallyl Glucoside, Pinus Cembra Wood Extract

Squalane

Isodecyl Neopentanoate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Propanediol

Hexyldecanol

Bisabolol

Butylene Glycol

Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside

Tetrasodium Tetracarboxymethyl Naringeninchalcone

Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone

4-T-Butylcyclohexanol

Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide

Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8

Superoxide Dismutase

Sodium PCA

PCA

Arginine

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Valine

Isoleucine

Proline

Threonine

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Aspartic Acid

Sodium Lactate

Mirabilis Jalapa Callus Extract

Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract

Zingiber Officinale Root Extract

Curculigo Orchioides Root Extract

Isochrysis Galbana Extract

Brassica Campestris Sterols

Stearic Acid

Dextran

Isoceteth-20

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Xanthan Gum

Tocopherol

Propyl Gallate

Tromethamine

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Water, Squalane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Hexyldecanol, Bisabolol, Butylene Glycol, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Rosmarinyl Glucoside, Caffeyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Tetrasodium Tetracarboxymethyl Naringeninchalcone, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Superoxide Dismutase, Sodium PCA, PCA, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, Sodium Lactate, Mirabilis Jalapa Callus Extract, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Curculigo Orchioides Root Extract, Isochrysis Galbana Extract, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Stearic Acid, Dextran, Isoceteth-20, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Propyl Gallate, Tromethamine, Dehydroacetic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol

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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.

Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.

This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.

As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.

The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.

This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.

It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.

Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.

At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.

Caffeyl Glucoside is an antioxidant.

Dehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.

As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.

It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.

Gallyl Glucoside is an antioxidant.

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.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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.

Rosmarinyl Glucoside is an antioxidant.

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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The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 03Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
  4. 04Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
  5. 05It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
  6. 06Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
  7. 07A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
  8. 08Cetearyl Olivate is a plant-derived emulsifier and texture enhancer. It helps keep the oil and water phases from separating so your formulas stay stable.
  9. 09You'll likely see it combined with Sorbitan Olivate (together sold as the trade name Olivem 1000). This combination generates a liquid crystal structure that closely resemble the lipid organization of the stratum corneum.
  10. 10These "skin-like" liquid crystals improve skin barrier integrity and promote the delivery of actives into the skin.
  11. 11This ingredient is well-tolerated and has no significant sensitization data.
  12. 12Because it is derived from the fatty acids in olive oil, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
  13. 13Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
  14. 14Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
  15. 15However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
  16. 16Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
  17. 17In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
  18. 18While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
  19. 19Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
  20. 20Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

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Comparison edit

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