The Outset Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream Versus Urban Veda Peptide-30 Radiance Recovery Night Cream

The Outset Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream Versus Urban Veda Peptide-30 Radiance Recovery Night Cream

This barrier-repair night moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and Bakuchiol to strengthen the skin barrier.

This brightening night moisturizer is formulated around Tetrapeptide-30 to fade the look of dark spots.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cetyl Palmitate

Propanediol

Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-3 Esters

Glycerin

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Myristyl Myristate

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate

Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Glyceryl Esters

Oenothera Biennis Oil

Pentylene Glycol

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

Persea Gratissima Oil

Niacinamide

Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide

Bakuchiol

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract

Citrus Limon Fruit Extract

Saccharum Officinarum Extract

Acer Saccharum Extract

Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Glycine Soja Oil

Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Jojoba Esters

Sodium Hyaluronate

Phenoxyethanol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Microcrystalline Cellulose

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Acacia Senegal Gum

Diheptyl Succinate

Xanthan Gum

Cellulose Gum

Saccharide Isomerate

Panthenol

Caprylyl Glycol

Tocopherol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Dextran

Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2

Citric Acid

Sodium Citrate

Sodium Phytate

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Palmitate, Propanediol, Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Myristyl Myristate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil Glyceryl Esters, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Niacinamide, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Bakuchiol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Jojoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Diheptyl Succinate, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Saccharide Isomerate, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dextran, Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Phytate

Isopropyl Myristate

Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Glyceryl Stearate

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract

Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Extract

Terminalia Arjuna Bark Extract

Carica Papaya Fruit Extract

Tetrapeptide-30

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil

Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil

Coriandrum Sativum Fruit Oil

Juniperus Mexicana Wood Oil

Tagetes Minuta Flower Oil

Olibanum

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Hydroxyacetophenone

Sodium Polyacrylate

Parfum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Hexyl Cinnamal

Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Extract, Terminalia Arjuna Bark Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Tetrapeptide-30, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Coriandrum Sativum Fruit Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Wood Oil, Tagetes Minuta Flower Oil, Olibanum, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

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.

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.

Sodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.

Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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