Tree of Life Anti-Aging Ultimate Daytime Glow Facial Serum Versus The INKEY List Retinol Serum

Tree of Life Anti-Aging Ultimate Daytime Glow Facial Serum Versus The INKEY List Retinol Serum

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

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Retinyl Acetate 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

Santalum Austrocaledonicum Wood Water

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Glycerin

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Glyceryl Stearate

Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil

Cocos Nucifera Oil

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter

Beeswax

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Panthenol

Alpha-Arbutin

Niacinamide

Ubiquinone

Astaxanthin

Undaria Pinnatifida Cell Culture Extract

Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum

Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum

Curcuma Longa Rhizome Extract

Hydrangea Arborescens Root Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Prunus Virginiana Bark Extract

Cetyl Alcohol

Potassium Stearate

Alcohol

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Santalum Austrocaledonicum Wood Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Beeswax, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Panthenol, Alpha-Arbutin, Niacinamide, Ubiquinone, Astaxanthin, Undaria Pinnatifida Cell Culture Extract, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Curcuma Longa Rhizome Extract, Hydrangea Arborescens Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Prunus Virginiana Bark Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Stearate, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Butylene Glycol

Propanediol

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Retinyl Acetate

Dimethicone

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Caprylyl Glycol

Phospholipids

Squalane

Glycine Soja Oil

Carbomer

Polysorbate 60

Tocopheryl Acetate

Glycolipids

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Phytate

Sorbitan Isostearate

Glycine Soja Sterols

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Lactate

Tocopherol

Polysorbate 20

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Retinyl Acetate, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Phospholipids, Squalane, Glycine Soja Oil, Carbomer, Polysorbate 60, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycolipids, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Phytate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glycine Soja Sterols, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Lactate, Tocopherol, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Reviews

Be the first to review

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons