Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule+ Versus Truly Vegan Collagen Anti-Aging Face Serum

Sungboon Editor Green Tomato Pore Lifting Ampoule+ Versus Truly Vegan Collagen Anti-Aging Face Serum

This pore-care ampoule is formulated around Niacinamide and Adenosine to refine the look of pores and soften the look of wrinkles.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Retinol to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Xylitol

1,2-Hexanediol

Dipropylene Glycol

Niacinamide

Alcohol

Trehalose

Xanthan Gum

C12-13 Pareth-9

Carbomer

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Tromethamine

Allantoin

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Sodium Citrate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Adenosine

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer

Disodium EDTA

Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Extract

Gluconolactone

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Panthenol

Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract

Amber Powder

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Benzyl Glycol

Ceramide NP

Tocopherol

Bellis Perennis Flower Extract

Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract

Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract

Pueraria Lobata Root Extract

Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract

Phenethyl Alcohol

Raspberry Ketone

Sodium Chloride

Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract

Disodium Phosphate

Potassium Chloride

Potassium Phosphate

Methyldihydrojasmonate

Ethyl Linalool

Ethylene Brassylate

Linalyl Acetate

Eucalyptol

2-T-Butylcyclohexyl Acetate

Methylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal

Hexenyl Acetate

2,4-Dimethyl-3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde

3-Hexenol

Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Xylitol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Alcohol, Trehalose, Xanthan Gum, C12-13 Pareth-9, Carbomer, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tromethamine, Allantoin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Sodium Citrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Extract, Gluconolactone, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Panthenol, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Amber Powder, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Benzyl Glycol, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol, Bellis Perennis Flower Extract, Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Raspberry Ketone, Sodium Chloride, Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract, Disodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Phosphate, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Ethyl Linalool, Ethylene Brassylate, Linalyl Acetate, Eucalyptol, 2-T-Butylcyclohexyl Acetate, Methylenedioxyphenyl Methylpropanal, Hexenyl Acetate, 2,4-Dimethyl-3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, 3-Hexenol

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Phenoxyethanol

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Phospholipids

Retinol

Collagen

Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract

Ascorbic Acid

Triethanolamine

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Phospholipids, Retinol, Collagen, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Alcohol, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

This ingredient is also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol. It is denatured, meaning made undrinkable for cosmetic use.

In formulas, it:

Is it bad for your skin?

The answer comes down to concentration. Patch and wash studies have found highly concentrated alcohol-based hand rubs (60-100%) cause less barrier disruption than washing with a basic detergent like SLS. The only measurable effect in these studies was a temporary dip in skin hydration.

Concentrations below 12-15% in leave-on cosmetics is generally well-tolerated. Concentrations above start to see increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and reduced hydration.

In concentrations about 58%, it creates temporary channels in your skin's lipid layers to become more permeable and allow other ingredients to slip through easily.

This ingredient can be up to 80% of the formula in alcohol-based perfumes.

Overall, this ingredient is probably harmless if found lower down an ingredients list but worth side-eyeing if it's high up (especially if your barrier is already struggling).

Alcohol can worsen dry skin, eczema, and oily skin, especially at higher concentrations. This is because it can increase transepidermal water loss and decrease hydration to disrupt the skin barrier.

According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.

True allergic contact dermatitis to ethanol is uncommon, but be sure to patch test if you have dry or sensitive skin.

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.

Corallina Officinalis Extract comes from the small red seaweed that grows on rocky coastlines that feels stiff to the touch because it builds calcium carbonate right into its cell walls.

That mineral content is basically its whole selling point: the extract brings calcium, magnesium, and trace minerals along with sugars (polysaccharides) and proteins. This is why formulators use it as a skin-conditioning and hydrating ingredient.

Lab testing does back up decent antioxidant activity for this species. A study comparing twelve red seaweeds found Corallina Officinalis stood out for its free-radical scavenging capacity. And a separate study found meaningful radical scavenging plus antibacterial activity from the raw biomass.

It's worth being clear that most of this is test-tube work on raw-algae and not a clinical trial on a finished cream.

On concentration, a 2020 industry survey found it's used at up to 2% in makeup and skincare. Safety-wise, it's as boring as it gets: the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel concluded this ingredient (along with the powder, Thallus Extract, and Hydrolyzed versions) to be safe as used in cosmetics and cited negative sensitization data.

There's no meaningful record of it causing allergic contact dermatitis, but be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

You'll see algae/seaweed listed as a 5/5 on a lot of pore-clogging charts and that number doesn't come from anywhere; it's not in the original rabbit-ear studies that most comedogenic ratings trace back to.

The reasoning behind the reputation is that seaweed is high in iodine and iodine can trigger acne-like breakouts when eaten. This traces back to a 1976 letter in Archives of Dermatology describing two women whose breakouts cleared after they stopped taking high-dose kelp supplements orally.

And the reaction of these two women wasn't clogged pores at all: it was an iodine-triggered pustular rash. Later research found normal dietary iodine doesn't meaningfully affect acne either and nobody has shown topical seaweed delivers enough iodine to matter.

What we do have is dozens of brown and red algae ingredients found to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and a handful of studies that found algae compounds may actually help acne.

However, plenty of people do report breaking out from algae-containing products. Skin is individual and it's worth avoiding if yours has reacted to algae before.

Curcuma Longa Root Extract comes from the rhizome (underground stem) of the turmeric plant.

While the official EU Cosing Database lists this ingredient as a fragrance, it actually does more than give products a scent.

This ingredient contains a group of yellow pigments called curcuminoids (mostly curcumin) that give it genuine antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in skin.

Reviews of topical clinical studies have found turmeric/curcumin to be generally well-tolerated and useful across conditions like eczema and mild inflammation.

One thing working in its favor is that curcumin barely penetrates; in lab skin-permeation testing, the curcuminoids mostly stayed in the outermost layer of skin. This is a good thing because its soothing and antioxidant activity is a surface-level job anyway.

At this time, industry data shows there's no single "correct" cosmetic percentage. It's used across a wide range depending on the product and varies from tiny fractions of a percent up to a few percent.

Allergy-wise, curcumin is a documented (but uncommon) contact allergen. It can also cross react with related plants, so anyone with a turmeric/ginger/cinnamon allergy or reactive skin should patch test first.

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.

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract is from the Neem tree. Neem trees originate from India.

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract contains antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.

The flowers of this tree are lilac colored.

This ingredient is also known as neem leaf extract. It contains natural compounds like nimbidin, quercetin, and other polyphenols that give it antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activity.

Lab studies have shown neem leaf extract can inhibit acne-related bacteria and help calm skin. Animal studies on wound gels using 1-3% neem leaf extract found it sped up healing without causing irritation.

A wound-healing study testing gels with the extract at 1%, 2%, and 3% concentrations and found none of them irritated the skin.

Most commercial products also use it in a similar low range (typically under 5%).

Allergy-wise, there are some case reports on neem oil causing allergic contact dermatitis so people with plant/botanical sensitivities may want to patch test first.

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract comes from the Holy Basil plant. Holy Basil is native to India.

Holy Basil is rich in antioxidants due to its high romarinic acid, ferulic acid, and rutin content. This gives it skin brightening and soothing properties.

While Holy Basil has many claims to help fight acne, more research is needed.

One thing to note is the presence of tannins; tannins are naturally found in nature. However, this compound may be skin-sensitizing.

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!

Similar Comparisons