The Route Beauty The Pink Peptide Boost - Growth Factor Serum Versus SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum

The Route Beauty The Pink Peptide Boost - Growth Factor Serum Versus SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate and Niacinamide to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Sodium Phytate

Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylyl Glycol

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Glycerin

Lysolecithin

Sclerotium Gum

Xanthan Gum

Hydrolyzed Oat Protein

Niacinamide

Adenosine Triphosphate

Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract

Betaine

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Pentylene Glycol

Dextran

Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Geranylgeranylisopropanol

Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine

Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate

Mannitol

Phosphatidylcholine

Cetyl Alcohol

Decyl Glucoside

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Chloride

Dipotassium Phosphate

Oligopeptide-1

Potassium Phosphate

Cyanocobalamin

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Sodium Phytate, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glycerin, Lysolecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Niacinamide, Adenosine Triphosphate, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Dextran, Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Geranylgeranylisopropanol, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Mannitol, Phosphatidylcholine, Cetyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Dipotassium Phosphate, Oligopeptide-1, Potassium Phosphate, Cyanocobalamin, Sodium Hydroxide

Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media

Glycereth-7 Triacetate

Shea Butter Ethyl Esters

Ethoxydiglycol

Lactococcus Ferment Lysate

Whey Protein

Chlorella Vulgaris Extract

Saccharide Isomerate

Dimer Tripeptide-43

Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Hydroxyacetophenone

Tocopheryl Acetate

Propanediol

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Polyacrylate-13

Polyisobutene

PEG-12 Dimethicone

Lecithin

Pullulan

Butylene Glycol

Sodium Citrate

Polysorbate 20

Aminomethyl Propanol

Disodium EDTA

Water, Pentylene Glycol, Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media, Glycereth-7 Triacetate, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Whey Protein, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Dimer Tripeptide-43, Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Sclerotium Gum, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Lecithin, Pullulan, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

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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.

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.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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.

Sclerotium Gum is a natural sugar-based fiber made by fermenting a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It's often used as the plant-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners like carbomer.

In skincare, it works as a thickener, gel former, and stabilizer that keeps heavy ingredients suspended so a product does not separate.

It is non-ionic and forms a triple helix in solution. This is just a fancy way of saying it builds a smooth, cushiony, and non-sticky gel that feels silkier than many other gums.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it is very sturdy and holds up across a wide pH range (~2-11). It's also good at resisting heat and hydrolysis.

Since it holds water at the skin surface, it can provide some light hydration as well.

Typical use levels are around 0.25-2%; formulators usually use 0.2-0.5% to thicken lotions and up to 2% for a firmer gel base.

This ingredient has been found safe in cosmetics with no meaningful evidence of skin sensitization.

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.

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