The Purest Solutions Peptide Complex Serum Versus Ulta Rapidly Renew Daily Serum

The Purest Solutions Peptide Complex Serum Versus Ulta Rapidly Renew Daily Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

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

Phenethyl Alcohol

Propylene Glycol

Cetearyl Isononanoate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Propanediol

1,2-Hexanediol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Ceteareth-20

Glycerin

Hydrogenated Polydecene

Glyceryl Stearate

Trideceth-6

Acmella Oleracea Extract

Ceteareth-12

Cetyl Palmitate

Sodium PCA

Pentylene Glycol

Erythritol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylyl Glycol

Carrageenan

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Xanthan Gum

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Water, Phenethyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glyceryl Stearate, Trideceth-6, Acmella Oleracea Extract, Ceteareth-12, Cetyl Palmitate, Sodium PCA, Pentylene Glycol, Erythritol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Carrageenan, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Dimethicone

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer

Polysilicone-11

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Ethyl Macadamiate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine

Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate

Phenoxyethanol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Butylene Glycol

Benzoic Acid

Carbomer

Polysorbate 20

Water, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Polysilicone-11, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ethyl Macadamiate, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sodium PCA, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzoic Acid, Ceteareth-12, Cetyl Palmitate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

We don't have a description for Ceteareth-12 yet.

Ceteareth-20 is an emulsifier and surfactant made by reacting cetearyl alcohol with 20 moles of ethylene oxide.

This gives it both oil and water-loving properties that makes it an effect emulsifier; it's really great at pulling oil droplets into water to create a stable, creamy, and easy-to-spread base.

Typical use ranges from 0.5-30%. Most leave-on products are in the 1-10% zone.

The 20 ethylene oxide units is well above the PEG-10 threshold and therefore not a food source for Malassezia (it's fungal acne safe).

This ingredient has a comedogenic rating of 2 and an irritancy rating of 3. These numbers come from testing the raw ingredient on rabbit ears and doesn't reflect how it will behave in a finished product.

In practice, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient. The ratings reflect cautious lab conditions and not real-world use. Just be sure to patch test any formulas you feel unsure about.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Cetearyl Isononanoate can be bad for oily skin.

Cetyl Palmitate is a wax-ester that pulls triple duty as an emollient, thickener, and emulsion enhancer.

It helps enhance the texture of products by giving a smooth, silky feel while helping to stabilize the formula. The emollient action softens skin and reduces moisture loss.

This ingredient is considered safe and human testing of concentrations between 2.5-2.7% were found minimal irritation. Just know, there have been very rare cases of the palmitate family causing contact dermatitis.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because it contains a C16 ester (palmitic acid) that falls into the C11-24 range that Malassezia can feed on.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Glyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

Sodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.

Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.

As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.

There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.

Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.

It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.

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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