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The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Boots Ingredients Alpha Hydroxy Acid Serum

The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Boots Ingredients Alpha Hydroxy Acid Serum This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier. This smoothing serum is formulated around G

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Boots Ingredients Alpha Hydroxy Acid Serum

This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

This smoothing serum is formulated around Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid to refine skin texture and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propanediol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Hyaluronic Acid

Carbomer

Sodium Lactate

Polysorbate 20

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Water, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Glycolic Acid

Lactic Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Xanthan Gum

Hydrolyzed Linseed Extract

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Sodium Benzoate

Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid

Hexylene Glycol

Stephania Tetrandra Root Extract

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Disodium EDTA

Sodium Acetate

Isopropyl Alcohol

Water, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Linseed Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Hexylene Glycol, Stephania Tetrandra Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol

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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.

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons

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. 03Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
  4. 04Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
  5. 05Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
  6. 06Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
  7. 07Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
  8. 08Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
  9. 09Like 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.
  10. 10However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
  11. 11Due 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.
  12. 12In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
  13. 13While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
  14. 14Most 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.
  15. 15Rosacea 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.
  16. 16However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's…
  17. 17Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
  18. 18This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
  19. 19Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
  20. 20While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl…
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
02

Product index

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03

Comparison edit

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