The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser

The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Serum Versus Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser

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

This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while calming and soothing your 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

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Sorbeth-230 Tetraoleate

Sodium Chloride

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract

Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Medicago Sativa Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Panthenol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Decyl Glucoside

Sorbitan Laurate

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Gluconolactone

Ethylhexylglycerin

Maltodextrin

Citric Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Gardenia Jasminoides Fruit Extract

Parfum

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Glycolate

Sodium Formate

Hexyl Cinnamal

Linalool

Limonene

CI 75810

Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sorbeth-230 Tetraoleate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Glycerin, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Decyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Laurate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Gluconolactone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Gardenia Jasminoides Fruit Extract, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Glycolate, Sodium Formate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene, CI 75810

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.

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.

Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.

It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.

The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.

Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).

True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.

Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.

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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