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Nutrition guide

iUNIK Tea Tree Relief Serum Versus Somethinc Salmon DNA + Marine Collagen Elixir

iUNIK Tea Tree Relief Serum Versus Somethinc Salmon DNA + Marine Collagen Elixir This calming serum is formulated around Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water and Centella Asiatica Leaf Water to calm redness and clear breakouts. This anti-aging treatment is formul

iUNIK Tea Tree Relief Serum Versus Somethinc Salmon DNA + Marine Collagen Elixir

This calming serum is formulated around Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water and Centella Asiatica Leaf Water to calm redness and clear breakouts.

This anti-aging treatment is formulated around Adenosine to soften the look of wrinkles and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water

Centella Asiatica Leaf Water

Butylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Niacinamide

Glycereth-26

Triticum Vulgare Sprout Extract

Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract

Portulaca Oleracea Extract

Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract

Medicago Sativa Extract

Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract

Beta-Glucan

Perilla Frutescens Leaf Extract

Brassica Campestris Extract

Aspalathus Linearis Extract

Commiphora Myrrha Resin Extract

Centella Asiatica Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Water

Betaine

Allantoin

Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex

Cellulose Gum

Xanthan Gum

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Adenosine

Sodium Hyaluronate

Glycerin

Pentylene Glycol

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Glycereth-26, Triticum Vulgare Sprout Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract, Beta-Glucan, Perilla Frutescens Leaf Extract, Brassica Campestris Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Commiphora Myrrha Resin Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Water, Betaine, Allantoin, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Adenosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Sea Water 62%

Methylpropanediol

Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

DNA

Phenoxyethanol

Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract

Carbomer

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Potassium Sorbate

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Amino Esters-1

Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Caffeine

Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract

Sodium Metabisulfite

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract

Pearl Powder

Lawsonia Inermis Flower/Fruit/Leaf Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Biotin

Tocopherol

Sea Water 62%, Glycerin, Water, Methylpropanediol, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Betaine, DNA, Adenosine, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Amino Esters-1, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Caffeine, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Sodium Metabisulfite, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Pearl Powder, Lawsonia Inermis Flower/Fruit/Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Biotin, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol

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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.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.

The way it works is fairly well mapped out:

Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.

The clinical backing is pretty solid too.

A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.

A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.

On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.

This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.

Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.

Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.

Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.

It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.

Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.

This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.

Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.

Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.

Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.

Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.

Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.

Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.

Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.

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.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Similar Comparisons

SUPPLEMENTAL FIELD FILE

Notes to carry forward.

Source-derived references linked through this guide’s public topic markers.

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REFERENCE CARDS

Ingredients, lists & structured values

INGREDIENT LIST

Ava Laboratorium Youth Activator Marine CollagenIngredients explained

  • Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
  • It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
  • Expand to read more
  • Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
  • One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
  • A natural moisturizer that’s also in our skin
  • A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years
  • Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier
  • Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
  • High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
  • The chemically chopped up version of the big protein molecule, collagen. It is often derived from fish or bovine sources and works as a nice moisturizer and humectant that helps the skin to hold onto water.
  • To understand a bit more what Hydrolyzed Collagen is, you have to know that proteins are large chains of amino acids connected with so-called peptide bonds. These bonds can be broken up when a water molecule is added and the resulting thing is a mix of shorte…
  • The main thing of these largish peptides is to act as water-binding agents, and to make the skin nice and smooth (aka emollient). Hydrolyzed Collagen is also often used in cleansers as it can make harsh surfactants milder and in hair conditioners as it improv…
  • If you wanna know more about collagen in cosmetics, we have a shiny explanation about soluble collagen here >>
  • It's one of the most commonly used thickeners and emulsion stabilizers. If the product is too runny, a little xanthan gum will make it more gel-like. Used alone, it can make the formula sticky and it is a good team player so it is usually combined with other …
  • Btw, Xanthan gum is all natural, a chain of sugar molecules (polysaccharide) produced from individual sugar molecules (glucose and sucrose) via fermentation. It’s approved by Ecocert and also used in the food industry (E415).
  • It’s pretty much the current IT-preservative. It’s safe and gentle, but even more importantly, it’s not a feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben.
  • It’s not something new: it was introduced around 1950 and today it can be used up to 1% worldwide. It can be found in nature - in green tea - but the version used in cosmetics is synthetic.
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