SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum Versus Osmosis Beauty StemFactor

SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum Versus Osmosis Beauty StemFactor Detailed comparison of SkinMedica TNS® Advanced+ Serum versus Osmosis Beauty StemFactor. No key ingredients No benefits 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 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 Human Stem Cell Conditioned Media Hamamelis Virginiana Bark/Leaf/Twig Extract Hydroxyethylcellulose Phosphatidylcholine Citrus Limon Peel Oil Dehydroacetic Acid Benzyl Alcohol Water, Human Stem Cell Conditioned Media, Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media, Hamamelis Virginiana Bark/Leaf/Twig Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phosphatidylcholine, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol These ingredients are found in both products. Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount. This is a growth factor ingredient. So what are growth factors? They're tiny messenger proteins your skin already makes on its own. Their job is to tell skin cells what to do: grow, repair, make more collagen, calm down after damage. Our skin makes fewer of them as we age. This is a big part of why older skin heals slower and looks less bouncy. The idea behind putting them in skincare is to "top up" the supply from the outside. "Conditioned media" sounds mysterious but it's basically just leftover broth. They're made in a lab where scientists grow human skin cells (fibroblasts) in a nutrient liquid. These cells release a cocktail of helpful proteins into that liquid as they live and grow. Then, these cells are filtered out and the ingredient is the "conditioned" liquid now full of secreted goodies. So what does neonatal mean here? It just means the original cells came from newborn tissue (usually donated foreskin), which tend to be younger, more active, and better at pumping out growth factors than adult cells. Technically, this isn't one single ingredient, it's a mix of dozens of active molecules working together, including: Studies find growth factor conditioned media can help with: The evidence behind this ingredient is pretty solid too (and not just marketing). A 24 week study of a fibroblast conditinoed media serum showed measurable improvements in the look of photodamaged skin, and these results were backed by actual skin biopsies rather than just before/after photoshoots. And a broader review that pulled together many growth factor studies came to a similar conclusion: they generally help with fine lines, texture, firmness, and are well-tolerated. It's also worth knowing the caveat that the review pointed out most of these serums also contained peptides, antioxidants, and exosomes. The honest answer is there isn't a tidy "use at 1-2%" number the way there is for something like niacinamide. This is because conditioned media isn't a single molecule. Brands add it as a percentage of a finished formula so that number is all over the map. The serums built around it usually advertise very high levels (~50%) while others just use a splash. And the individual growth factors floating inside are actually present in very tiny amounts (think nano/micrograms per gram). Here's one regulatory anchor point: the FDA has approved a wound healing gel that uses a pure growth factor at 0.01% (100 micrograms per gram). This shows the active growth factors themselves work at very low concentrations. So the "50%" numbers you see on labels refer to the diluted broth and not the pure proteins. The single most important thing to understand growth factors is that they are very fragile. Dr. Zoe Draelos wrote this about them for Dermatology Times: Independent lab work backs up the fragility. Many growth factors lose a big chunk of their ac