Skin science article
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum Versus Timeless Skin Care Matrixyl 3000 Serum
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum Versus Timeless Skin Care Matrixyl 3000 Serum This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots. This anti-aging seru
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum Versus Timeless Skin Care Matrixyl 3000 Serum
This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Glycerin
Butylene Glycol
Propanediol
Dipropylene Glycol
Acetyl Glucosamine
Niacinamide
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Caffeine
Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
Gallyl Glucoside
Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract
Silanetriol
Arginine
Pentylene Glycol
Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone
Propyl Gallate
Maltodextrin
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Xanthan Gum
Citric Acid
Glycolic Acid
Sodium Citrate
Polysorbate 20
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Dehydroacetic Acid
Ethylhexylglycerin
Benzyl Alcohol
Phenoxyethanol
Chlorphenesin
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Acetyl Glucosamine, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Caffeine, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract, Silanetriol, Arginine, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Propyl Gallate, Maltodextrin, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Carbomer
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Hyaluronic Acid
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!