Tatcha The Silk Peony Melting Eye Cream Versus Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

Tatcha The Silk Peony Melting Eye Cream Versus Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate and Squalane to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging eye moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate

Water

Glycerin

Propanediol

Squalane

Dimethicone

Behenyl Alcohol

Myristyl Myristate

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Cera Alba

Whey Protein

Inositol

Silica

Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract

Paeonia Albiflora Flower Extract

Hydrolyzed Silk

Sericin

Geranium Robertianum Extract

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Yeast Ferment Extract

Sargassum Vulgare Extract

Sodium Hyaluronate

Isostearic Acid

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Sodium Polyacrylate Starch

Stearyl Alcohol

Sorbitan Isostearate

Polysorbate 60

Tocopheryl Acetate

Tocopherol

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Sodium Benzoate

Gluconolactone

Butylene Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Parfum

Phenoxyethanol

Citral

Limonene

Linalool

Mica

Tin Oxide

CI 77891

Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Squalane, Dimethicone, Behenyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cera Alba, Whey Protein, Inositol, Silica, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cladosiphon Okamuranus Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Sericin, Geranium Robertianum Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Yeast Ferment Extract, Sargassum Vulgare Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Isostearic Acid, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Stearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Gluconolactone, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Mica, Tin Oxide, CI 77891

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetearyl Olivate

Jojoba Esters

Panthenol

Cetyl Palmitate

Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Sorbitan Palmitate

Dunaliella Salina Extract

Astaxanthin

Citric Acid

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Panthenol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Palmitate, Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sorbitan Palmitate, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Astaxanthin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Citric 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.

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.

Glyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.

As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.

Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.

This is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.

It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.

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.

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.

Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).

It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.

This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.

Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.

Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.

No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).

Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.

This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.

Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.

Read more about squalene with an "e".

Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.

The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.

Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.

A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.

The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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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