Pacifica Vegan Collagen Recovery Eye Cream Versus Pacifica Wake Up Beautiful Retinoid Eye Cream

Pacifica Vegan Collagen Recovery Eye Cream Versus Pacifica Wake Up Beautiful Retinoid Eye Cream

This barrier-repair eye moisturizer is formulated around Caffeine and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract to strengthen the skin barrier.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate and Squalane to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cetearyl Olivate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Sorbitan Olivate

Glyceryl Caprylate

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Hydrolyzed Brassica Napus Seedcake Extract

Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract

Arnica Montana Flower Extract

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Caffeine

Allantoin

Panthenol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Tocopherol

Quartz

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil

Arginine

Bentonite

Coconut Alkanes

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Cetyl Esters

Stearic Acid

Cetearyl Glucoside

Xanthan Gum

Maltodextrin

Glucose

Phenoxyethanol

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Water, Cetearyl Olivate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Brassica Napus Seedcake Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Caffeine, Allantoin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Quartz, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Arginine, Bentonite, Coconut Alkanes, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetyl Esters, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Glucose, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Sorbitan Stearate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Behenyl Alcohol

Squalane

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate

Ganoderma Lucidum Extract

Melatonin

Inonotus Obliquus Extract

Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract

Sorbityl Laurate

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Behenyl Alcohol, Squalane, Coconut Alkanes, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Melatonin, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Glycerin, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glucose, Sorbityl Laurate, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Cetearyl Glucoside is a sugar-based emulsifier. It is usually made by combining cetearyl alcohol and glucose.

Belonging to the aklyl polyglucoside (APG) family, Cetearyl Glucoside has a sugar "head" that loves water and a fatty "tail" that loves oil. This means it can shuffle oil and water into a stable and smooth emulsion.

Typical use levels are between 1-5% and this ingredient is considered to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel Review.

Once applied, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down to the parent fatty alcohol and glucose. This is why this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract comes from the Chamomile flower.

Chamomile is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Several compounds found in chamomile help with soothing, such as bisbolol.

Antioxidant components in chamomile make it an effective ingredient to help slow the signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or molecules that may damage your skin.

Essential oils from chamomile have been found to improve wound healing due to its antimicrobial properties.

Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used Chamomile to treat skin redness and dryness. Chamomile has also been used to help treat stomach issues.

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is a lightweight ester created from coconut oil fatty acids, caprylic acid, and capric acid.

It is an emollient that helps soften skin and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). What sets it apart from heavier emollients is its ultralight, non-greasy feel.

Once applied, this ingredient dries down quickly and leaves a dry, silky finish behind. This also helps improve spreadability and texture.

This ingredient has an excellent safety-record and is non-irritating.

Typical concentrations for cosmetics range from 0.5-62%.

Research on Malassezia growth found no growth on fatty acid esters with chain lengths shorter than 12 carbons (it prefers C11-24).

Since Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is built on C8 and C10 fatty acids, it is out of the range that Malassezia metabolizes, and therefore safe for fungal acne.

Coconut Alkanes is a lightweight, plant-derived emollient and solvent made from the fatty acids of coconut oil.

It spreads easily and adds a soft, silky, non-greasy slip, then evaporates rather than sinking into skin. Due to this behavior, it's prized as a natural and renewable replacement for silicones.

Typical use concentrations can go anywhere up to 20%.

The CIR Expert Panel has reviewed coconut oil and its hydrogenated derivatives and found them to be safe as used in cosmetics. It's a low-irritating and well-tolerated ingredient with no notable sensitization concerns.

Because it's a pure saturated hydrocarbon and not a free fatty acid or ester in the C11-24 range that Malassezia can feed on, it doesn't provide the lipids for Malassezia to feed on. This ingredient is generally regarded as safe for fungal acne.

Glucose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide). In skincare, it is mostly a humectant and skin conditioning agent.

Mechanistically, it has multiple hydroxyl groups that hydrogen-bond to water. This pulls moisture into the upper layers of skin to keep the surface soft and hydrated.

It's worth knowing sugars are already a natural component of the skin's NMF (natural moisturizing factor) so it's a molecule that your stratum corneum is well-acquainted with.

Just so you know, glucose is hydrophilic (water-loving) and the stratum corneum is a strong barrier to hydrophilic compounds. This just means penetration is slow and most of the action is happening on the surface.

Gram-to-gram, glucose is not as efficient as a humectant as glycerin. This is why you'll likely see glycose paired with stronger humectants for a bigger hydration payoff.

In skincare, glucose is typically derived from corn or other starch sources.

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.

This is a botanical extract from the rosemary plant (the same one you cook with). In skincare, it mostly works as a skin conditioning agent.

Its activity comes from a handful of polyphenols, carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. Almost 90% of the antioxidant activity of this ingredient can be attributed to canosol and carnosic acid.

These compounds protect your skin two ways:

1) They fight off free radicals, or the unstable molecules from things like sun and pollution that age and damage skin. 2) They help calm inflammation by switching off the chemical signals that tell skin to get red and irritated.

Lab studies also suggest that rosmarinic acid may help protect collagen and slow sugar-related damage to it.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing.

Rosemary can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis (due to carnosol), so be sure to patch test if you have reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin.

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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