Vichy LiftActiv Supreme Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Eye Cream Versus Beauty Bay 4.8% Caffeine + Peptide Eye Treatment

Vichy LiftActiv Supreme Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Eye Cream Versus Beauty Bay 4.8% Caffeine + Peptide Eye Treatment

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine and Adenosine to soften the look of wrinkles.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine and Ferulic Acid to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dimethicone

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Glycerin

Cetyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Stearate

Polymethyl Acrylate

Methyl Methacrylate

PEG-40 Stearate

Cera Alba

Beeswax

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Stearic Acid

Stearyl Alcohol

Sorbitan Tristearate

Triethanolamine

Caffeine

Methylparaben

Silica

Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Dextran Sulfate

Myristyl Alcohol

Escin

Palmitic Acid

Rhamnose

Phenoxyethanol

Adenosine

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Poloxamer 338

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Hydrolyzed Rice Protein

Pentylene Glycol

Water, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polymethyl Acrylate, Methyl Methacrylate, PEG-40 Stearate, Cera Alba, Beeswax, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Tristearate, Triethanolamine, Caffeine, Methylparaben, Silica, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Myristyl Alcohol, Escin, Palmitic Acid, Rhamnose, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Poloxamer 338, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Pentylene Glycol

Propanediol

Caffeine 4.8%

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Maltodextrin

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Beheneth-25

Isosorbide Dicaprylate

Tribehenin

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Isohexadecane

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Citronellyl Methylcrotonate

Ferulic Acid

Xanthan Gum

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Polysorbate 80

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylyl Glycol

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Tocopherol

Water, Propanediol, Caffeine 4.8%, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Maltodextrin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Beheneth-25, Glyceryl Stearate, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Tribehenin, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Citronellyl Methylcrotonate, Phenoxyethanol, Ferulic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polysorbate 80, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Tocopherol

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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.

Caffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.

As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.

Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.

You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.

Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.

Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.

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.

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.

Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.

Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.

It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.

One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.

Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.

Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.

The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.

Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.

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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