Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

The Ordinary Multi Peptides + Copper Peptide 1% Versus ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Serum

The Ordinary Multi Peptides + Copper Peptide 1% Versus ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Serum This anti-aging serum is formulated around Lactococcus Ferment Lysate and Copper Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This anti-aging seru

The Ordinary Multi Peptides + Copper Peptide 1% Versus ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Lactococcus Ferment Lysate and Copper Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Copper Tripeptide-1

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Pentapeptide-18

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate

Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Sodium Hyaluronate

Allantoin

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Valine

Isoleucine

Proline

Threonine

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Arginine

Aspartic Acid

Trehalose

Fructose

Glucose

Maltose

Urea

Sodium PCA

PCA

Sodium Lactate

Citric Acid

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Sodium Chloride

Sodium Hydroxide

Butylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Acacia Senegal Gum

Xanthan Gum

Carbomer

Polysorbate 20

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Sodium Benzoate

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Chlorphenesin

Water, Glycerin, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Copper Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Pentapeptide-18, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Trehalose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, Urea, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Citric Acid, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

Cyclopentasiloxane

Dipropylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol

Dimethicone

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer

PEG-12 Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Sodium Phosphate

Panthenyl Triacetate

Phospholipids

Magnesium Sulfate

Hydrolyzed Sericin

Ethyl Linoleate

Buddleja Davidii Meristem Cell Culture

Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract

Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate

Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate

Acetyl Tyrosine

Dimethiconol

Oleyl Alcohol

Parfum

Tocopherol

Beta-Glucan

Adenosine Triphosphate

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, PEG-12 Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sodium Phosphate, Panthenyl Triacetate, Phospholipids, Magnesium Sulfate, Hydrolyzed Sericin, Ethyl Linoleate, Buddleja Davidii Meristem Cell Culture, Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Lactobacillus/Panax Ginseng Root Extract Ferment Filtrate, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Acetyl Tyrosine, Dimethiconol, Oleyl Alcohol, Proline, Parfum, Tocopherol, Beta-Glucan, Adenosine Triphosphate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Sodium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol

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.

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.

This small molecule peptide has similar benefits to Argireline, the "botox" peptide.

According to the manufacturer, this peptide mimics snake venom to freeze muscles. This prevents muscle movement and contractions to prohibit the formation of fine lines and wrinkles.

While this seems promising, research is lacking in proving this ingredient to be as effective as botox.

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.

Proline is a non-essential amino acid, meaning your body can make it on its own. In skincare, it is a skin conditioning ingredient that keeps skin soft and hydrated.

It makes up about 23% of the collagen molecule (collagen is the protein responsible for keeping your skin firm) and is involved in your skin's natural hyaluronic acid production. When applied topically, proline can penetrate the skin fairly well due to its small molecular size.

Reviews of this ingredient have found it to be neither a dermal irritant nor a sensitizer.

Fun fact: Proline can be found in protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.

Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.

You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.

You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.

You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

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

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Side-by-side

  1. 01Water
  2. 02Glycerin
  3. 03Lactococcus Ferment Lysate
  4. 04Copper Tripeptide-1
  5. 05Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
  6. 06Pentapeptide-18
  7. 07Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
  8. 08Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
  9. 09Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
  10. 10Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
  11. 11Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine
  12. 12Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
  13. 13Sodium Hyaluronate
  14. 14Allantoin
  15. 15Glycine
  16. 16Alanine
  17. 17Serine
  18. 18Valine
  19. 19Isoleucine
  20. 20Proline
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Nano Recipe Copper Peptide-1

Nano Recipe Copper Peptide-1 Ingredients in Nano Recipe Copper Peptide-1 explained: benefits, concerns, and detailed analysis of 4 ingredients including Copper Tripeptide-1, Water, and Prop…

Source: skinsort.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side