Merle Norman Nighttime Recovery Cream Versus Algenist Genius Sleeping Collagen

Merle Norman Nighttime Recovery Cream Versus Algenist Genius Sleeping Collagen

This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging night moisturizer is formulated around Ceramide NP to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Glyceryl Stearate

Squalane

Myristyl Myristate

Glycerin

Cetyl Alcohol

Dimethicone

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Cyclopentasiloxane

Cyclohexasiloxane

Sorbitol

Stearic Acid

PEG-40 Stearate

Sorbitan Tristearate

Saccharide Isomerate

Superoxide Dismutase

Ceramide NP

C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters

Zea Mays Kernel Extract

Glyceryl Polymethacrylate

Glycyrrhetinic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Centella Asiatica Extract

Echinacea Purpurea Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract

Ascorbic Acid/Orange/Citrus Limon/Citrus Aurantifolia Polypeptides

Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride

Tocopheryl Acetate

Isocetyl Alcohol

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Folic Acid

Pyridoxine Hcl

Proline

Glycine

Palmitoyl Carnitine

PCA

Alanine

Glutamic Acid

Serine

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Lecithin

Polyquaternium-24

PEG-8

Butylene Glycol

Triethanolamine

Diazolidinyl Urea

Phenoxyethanol

Tetrasodium EDTA

Disodium EDTA

Parfum

Water, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glyceryl Stearate, Squalane, Myristyl Myristate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Sorbitol, Stearic Acid, PEG-40 Stearate, Sorbitan Tristearate, Saccharide Isomerate, Superoxide Dismutase, Ceramide NP, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Zea Mays Kernel Extract, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract, Ascorbic Acid/Orange/Citrus Limon/Citrus Aurantifolia Polypeptides, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Isocetyl Alcohol, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hcl, Proline, Glycine, Palmitoyl Carnitine, PCA, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Serine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Lecithin, Polyquaternium-24, PEG-8, Butylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Diazolidinyl Urea, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Parfum

Collagen

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cetearyl Methicone

Cetearyl Alcohol

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Chlorella Protothecoides Oil

Polysorbate 60

Glyceryl Glucoside

Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate

Parachlorella Beijerinckii Exopolysaccharides

Collagen Amino Acids

Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract

Helianthus Annuus Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Tocopherol

Carnosine

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Caprylyl Glycol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Citric Acid

Sodium Hydroxide

Sodium Phytate

T-Butyl Alcohol

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Triethyl Citrate

Vanillin

Amyl Salicylate

Benzyl Acetate

Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil

Phenethyl Alcohol

Ionone

Linalool

Collagen, Water, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cetearyl Methicone, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Chlorella Protothecoides Oil, Polysorbate 60, Glyceryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Parachlorella Beijerinckii Exopolysaccharides, Collagen Amino Acids, Ceramide NP, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Carnosine, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Lecithin, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Phytate, T-Butyl Alcohol, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Phenoxyethanol, Triethyl Citrate, Vanillin, Amyl Salicylate, Benzyl Acetate, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ionone, Linalool

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.

Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.

This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.

A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.

Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.

Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.

Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

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.

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.

Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:

It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.

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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