Youth To The People Mandelic Acid + Superfood Unity Exfoliant Versus The INKEY List Mandelic Acid Treatment

Youth To The People Mandelic Acid + Superfood Unity Exfoliant Versus The INKEY List Mandelic Acid Treatment

This brightening exfoliator is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Panthenol to brighten dull-looking skin and refine skin texture.

This brightening treatment is formulated around Mandelic Acid and Retinol to fade the look of dark spots and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Stearic Acid

Glycerin

Glyceryl Stearate

Cetyl Alcohol

Ascorbic Acid

Lecithin

Panthenol

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Tocopheryl Acetate

Phenoxyethanol

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Potassium Sorbate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Medicago Sativa Leaf Extract

Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract

Parfum

Pentylene Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Magnesium Chloride

Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate

Benzyl Benzoate

Citronellol

Hexyl Cinnamal

Limonene

Linalool

Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ascorbic Acid, Lecithin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Medicago Sativa Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Parfum, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Magnesium Chloride, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool

Propanediol

Mandelic Acid

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Sodium Hydroxide

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Benzyl Alcohol

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Copernicia Cerifera Cera

Retinol

Polysorbate 20

Dehydroacetic Acid

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Ceramide AP

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate

Tocopherol

Xanthan Gum

Ethyl Ferulate

Humulus Lupulus Extract

Water, Propanediol, Mandelic Acid, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ceramide AP, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Ethyl Ferulate, Humulus Lupulus Extract

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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.

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.

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.

It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.

The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.

The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.

Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.

One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).

This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.

On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.

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!

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