Glow Recipe Prickly Pear Peptide Mucin Versus BYOMA Phyto Mucin Glow Serum

Glow Recipe Prickly Pear Peptide Mucin Versus BYOMA Phyto Mucin Glow Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract and Polyglutamic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract

Propanediol

Butylene Glycol

Water

Betaine

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Ectoin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Glycerin

Ubiquinone

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

Bifida Ferment Filtrate

Spilanthes Acmella Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract

Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

1,2-Hexanediol

PPG-26-Buteth-26

Caprylyl Glycol

Tocopherol

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Water, Betaine, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ectoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Ubiquinone, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Spilanthes Acmella Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol

Methylpropanediol

Glyceryl Polymethacrylate

Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract

Propylene Glycol

Laminaria Japonica Extract

Hibiscus Esculentus Fruit Extract

Corchorus Olitorius Leaf Extract

Arginine

Panthenol

Nelumbo Nucifera Root Extract

Hydroxyacetophenone

Polyglutamic Acid

Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate

Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Ceramide NP

Cholesterol

Carbomer

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

Stearic Acid

Oleic Acid

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Sodium Lactate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Lactic Acid

Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Propylene Glycol, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Hibiscus Esculentus Fruit Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Corchorus Olitorius Leaf Extract, Arginine, Panthenol, Nelumbo Nucifera Root Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Polyglutamic Acid, Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Betaine, Cholesterol, Carbomer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Lactic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Reviews

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

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).

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.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.

That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.

Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.

In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.

Human clinical data is promising, but modest:

A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.

A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.

You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.

Fungal acne note: Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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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