Analysis of Your Lifting and Anti-Wrinkle Formulas

Thank you for sharing your formulations and providing context about your skin concerns, including oiliness, seborrheic dermatitis, and acne-proneness. It's good that you are aiming for lifting and anti-wrinkle effects, but as the staff mentioned, managing your acne and strengthening your skin barrier should be the priority, as some anti-aging ingredients can be irritating.

Let's look at your formulas:

Formula 1

• Base: Double Hya tester
• Active Ingredients:
  • N acetyl D (Acetyl Glucosamine) 4%: Known for skin brightening and improving skin barrier function. Can also work synergistically with Niacinamide.
  • Vit B 3 (Niacinamide) 2%: Excellent for reducing inflammation, improving skin barrier, controlling oil, and potentially helping with acne. The staff suggested increasing this to 4-5% if not for the eye area, which could be beneficial for your oily/acne-prone skin.
  • MOIST72 2%: A moisturizing complex that helps provide hydration.
  • Licorice extract 1%: Known for anti-inflammatory and soothing properties, which can be helpful for sensitive or irritated skin like yours (sebderm).
  • Apple Stem cell (Apple Stem Cell Extract) 5%: Marketed for anti-aging and revitalizing skin cells.
  • Tego pep 417 (Likely a peptide like Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7) 5%: Peptides are used for their potential to stimulate collagen production and improve skin elasticity, targeting wrinkles and lifting.
  • Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica Extract) 5%: Known for wound healing, soothing, and potential collagen-stimulating properties. Good for calming irritated skin and supporting skin repair.
  • Allantoin (Maximum amount): Allantoin is a soothing and skin-conditioning agent. Using the maximum recommended amount is generally safe and beneficial for calming skin.
• Preservative: phenoxyenthainol (Phenoxyethanol)

Overall for Formula 1: This formula contains a good mix of ingredients targeting hydration, soothing, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-aging (peptides, stem cell extract). The concentrations seem reasonable. Given your skin type, the Niacinamide and Licorice extract are good additions for managing oil and soothing irritation. Gotu Kola also contributes to soothing and healing.

Formula 2

• Base: Double Hya tester
• Active Ingredients:
  • N acetyl D (Acetyl Glucosamine) 4%
  • Vit B 3 (Niacinamide) 2%
  • Licorice extract 1%
  • Apple Stem cell (Apple Stem Cell Extract) 5%
  • Tego pep 417 (Likely a peptide like Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7) 5%
  • coconut endosperm (Likely Coconut Water) 5%: This replaces Gotu Kola from Formula 1.
• Preservative: phenoxyenthainol (Phenoxyethanol)

Overall for Formula 2: This formula is similar to Formula 1 but swaps Gotu Kola for Coconut Endosperm (Coconut Water). The core anti-aging components (Peptide, Apple Stem Cell) are still present.

Gotu Kola vs. Coconut Endosperm (Coconut Water)

• Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica Extract): As mentioned, it's excellent for soothing, healing, reducing inflammation, and supporting collagen synthesis. It's well-regarded for sensitive and compromised skin, which aligns with your sebderm and acne concerns.
• Coconut Endosperm (Coconut Water): Coconut water contains various nutrients, sugars, and amino acids. It can be hydrating and potentially offer some antioxidant benefits. However, compared to Gotu Kola, it is less proven for direct soothing, anti-inflammatory, or significant collagen-stimulating effects in topical applications. While Sabinsa may have specific processed versions with claims, traditional coconut water is primarily hydrating. Given your history of breakouts and sensitive skin, introducing new ingredients like Coconut Endosperm might carry a higher risk of irritation or not provide the specific soothing/healing benefits that Gotu Kola offers.

Considerations for Your Skin Type

As the staff advised, focusing on controlling acne and strengthening your skin barrier is crucial. Both formulas contain Niacinamide and Licorice extract, which are beneficial for this. Allantoin in Formula 1 is also helpful.

The peptides (Tego pep 417 / Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, and previously SNAP 8 / Acetyl Octapeptide-3) and Apple Stem Cell Extract are aimed at lifting and wrinkles. While these are your goals, introducing multiple potent anti-aging actives at once might overwhelm sensitive, acne-prone skin. It's possible that the previous breakout was related to the combination of ingredients or simply your skin's natural tendency for acne, as the staff suggested.

Recommendations:

1. Prioritize Skin Health: Consider simplifying your routine initially to focus on managing oiliness and preventing breakouts, as recommended by the staff. Ingredients like Niacinamide and Acetyl Glucosamine are good staples for this.
2. Formula 1 vs. Formula 2: Formula 1, with Gotu Kola, seems potentially more beneficial for your skin type due to Gotu Kola's known soothing and healing properties, which can help with seborrheic dermatitis and general skin sensitivity. Coconut Endosperm (Coconut Water), while hydrating, may not offer the same level of calming benefits and you've had a previous issue when using a formula containing it.
3. Concentrations: The concentrations you are using for the active ingredients are generally within recommended ranges. Increasing Niacinamide to 4-5% could be beneficial for oil control and barrier support, as suggested.
4. Introduce Actives Gradually: If you proceed with a complex formula, consider introducing new active ingredients one by one to identify potential irritants. Given your history, this is particularly important.
5. Allantoin: Using Allantoin at its maximum soluble limit in Formula 1 is fine and provides good soothing benefits.

In summary, Formula 1 appears slightly better suited for your skin concerns due to the inclusion of Gotu Kola. However, the most important step is to address the underlying acne and skin sensitivity issues first, potentially with a simpler routine focusing on barrier repair and oil control, before incorporating multiple strong anti-aging actives.