Dream Skin Honey Gold Eye Serum Versus Freck So Jelly Cactus Eye Jelly with Plant Collagen

Dream Skin Honey Gold Eye Serum Versus Freck So Jelly Cactus Eye Jelly with Plant Collagen

This brightening eye moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Propolis Extract to fade the look of dark spots and hydrate skin.

This eye moisturizer is formulated around Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil to hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dipropylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Phenoxyethanol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Glycerin

1,2-Hexanediol

Carbomer

Arginine

Isopentyldiol

Xanthan Gum

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Polysorbate 20

PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Propolis Extract

Honey Extract

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Sorbitan Isostearate

Polysorbate 60

Parfum

Benzyl Salicylate

Limonene

Gold

Disodium EDTA

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Carbomer, Arginine, Isopentyldiol, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polysorbate 20, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Propolis Extract, Honey Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Parfum, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Gold, Disodium EDTA

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Polyisoprene

Ceteareth-6 Olivate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil

Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract

Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables

Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract

Hydrogenated Olive Oil

Asparagopsis Armata Extract

Potassium Hydroxide

Sorbitol

Tetrasodium EDTA

Potassium Sorbate

Water, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polyisoprene, Ceteareth-6 Olivate, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Polysorbate 60, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.

Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.

It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.

Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.

A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.

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.

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.

Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.

Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.

In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.

Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.

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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