While the spotlight seems to shine on a different skincare ingredient each week, certain names end up, over time, going from trend to trusted.
Grape stem cells and sodium hyaluronate are two such ingredients. You’ll struggle to find a dermatologist who has anything bad to say about them. Both offer some spectacular skin benefits…but which one actually plays a bigger role in skincare? Most importantly, which one do you need to be adding to your own skincare routine? Join Introstem as we take a closer look at these ingredients to help you figure out exactly what you need.
What are Grape Stem Cells?
While stem cells are usually living cells that are capable of dividing, growing, and dying, the plant stem cells used in skincare, including those derived from grapes, are different. These stem cells aren’t actually ‘alive’. Instead, they’re powerful compounds that are extracted from plant cells, with a potency that surpasses many of the other skincare ingredients out there.
Grape stem cells are known for being particularly effective when applied topically. They’re taken from specialized grape varieties – ones that are known for having an exceptionally high antioxidant content.
What Do They Do?
Grape stem cells are brimming with powerful antioxidants, some of which can’t be found in other plant extracts. Numerous studies point to how grape stem cells are able to significantly reduce the appearance of skin aging. From fine lines and wrinkles to dark spots and discoloration, grape stem cells will leave your skin looking smoother, brighter, and younger.
Grape stem cells have also shown potential when it comes to keeping the skin feeling better protected against UV radiation. This multitasking ingredient soothes the feeling of inflammation and irritation too, making it a useful one to have in your skincare routine.
What is Sodium Hyaluronate?
Sodium hyaluronate is a type of hyaluronic acid – a substance that’s naturally produced in the human body. Hyaluronic acid is mainly found in the skin, eyes, and joints, with its primary purpose being to retain moisture.
Sodium hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. This means that it has a smaller molecular size. While hyaluronic acid’s molecules are too large to actually penetrate the skin, sodium hyaluronate is easier to absorb, meaning that it gains access to the deeper layers of the complexion that hyaluronic acid can’t reach.
What Does it Do?
Just like its natural role in the human body, topical sodium hyaluronate is all about moisture. The ingredient functions as a humectant, which means that it attracts and binds moisture to the skin. It works quickly, meaning that you’ll see a plumper, fuller, and bouncier complexion pretty soon after applying the ingredient.
While boosting hydration is something that sodium hyaluronate is famous for, many people don’t realize that this ingredient works to soothe the look of inflammation too. It also keeps the skin barrier feeling strong and resilient, encouraging natural moisture retention to improve in the long run.
Grape Stem Cells vs. Sodium Hyaluronate: Which is Better?
As you can see, grape stem cells and sodium hyaluronate are two very different skincare ingredients, making them difficult to compare. They work in very different ways and do very different things, yet can each have a transformational effect on the complexion. While grape stem cells win out when it comes to antioxidant properties, sodium hyaluronate takes the lead big time in terms of hydration.
So, which one should you add to your skincare routine?
There’s no need to choose between them. In fact, the two ingredients work very well when combined. They both target the appearance of aging and barrier decline, but from different angles. Bring the two together, and you’ll likely see much better results from your skincare efforts.
Skincare Products That Contain Both Grape Stem Cells and Sodium Hyaluronate
While sodium hyaluronate can be found in so many different skincare products, grape stem cells aren’t quite as common.
The good news? It’s our signature ingredient at Introstem, and we have several powerful skincare products that combine it with sodium hyaluronate:
The PrismaStem Collection
If you’re looking for a way to incorporate grape stem cells and sodium hyaluronate into multiple stages of your skincare routine, the Introstem PrismaStem Collection is it. This skincare set consists of three products – a mask, a serum, and a cream – and each one contains this much-loved ingredient duo.
The mask blends sodium hyaluronate with a number of other hydrating humectants, while grape stem cell extract is joined by a long line of superfruit extracts that are each known for their astounding antioxidant capabilities. Meanwhile, the serum packs another punch of hydration while the cream introduces your skin to another selection of powerful antioxidants.
The EmberCell Radiant Serum
Serums are always a great way to add new ingredients to your skincare routine, especially when they’re as influential as grape stem cells and sodium hyaluronate. With serums having a light texture, they’re easier for the skin to absorb compared to thicker products, meaning that they can bring about some impressive improvements in the complexion.
The EmberCell Radiant Serum from Introstem is all about firming and volumizing the look of the skin while softening the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles. It does this by intensely hydrating the skin with sodium hyaluronate, peptides, and glycerin, while, over time, repairing the appearance of wrinkles with its array of antioxidants.
The VitisCell Luminous Firming Eye Serum
With both grape stem cells and sodium hyaluronate being very gentle on the skin, they can safely be used by all skin types and on all areas of the face. This includes the skin around the eyes, which is much more delicate and prone to irritation/damage.
The Introstem VitisCell Luminous Firming Eye Serum brings the two ingredients together in a formula that caters to the specific needs of this fragile skin. They’re joined by the likes of peptides, green tea extract, vitamin C, and aloe vera leaf extract. They’ll all work to leave your skin feeling calmer, thicker, and more resilient.
The Aqua Face and Neck Cream
With both sodium hyaluronate and grape stem cells benefiting the skin barrier, it can be useful to have these ingredients in your moisturizer, which forms a barrier of its own over your skin. Combine them with an occlusive ingredient, like we’ve done with shea butter in the Aqua Face and Neck Cream, and the surface layer of your skin will feel stronger than ever.
As always, there are several other noteworthy ingredients in this moisturizer. Peptides offer their own barrier-loving properties while collagen amino acids provide the complexion with extra support. The plant extracts in this cream, from aloe vera to chamomile to green tea, are each brimming with their own unique ranges of antioxidants.
The Aqua Silk Capsules
Encapsulating skincare products is an effective way of preserving the potency of the ingredients within. When a skincare product is stored in a little capsule, it doesn’t have access to any air or light, both of which are known for degrading powerful ingredients.
The Introstem Aqua Silk Capsules contain a silky serum that quickly absorbs into the skin. In each ‘dose’ of the serum, your skin will benefit from sodium hyaluronate, grape stem cells, Szechuan pepper extract, and lavender extract, among other science-backed ingredients.
The AquaLift Anti-Aging Essence Solution
One of the reasons that sodium hyaluronate is such a loved ingredient is because of how quickly it works. Soon after it’s applied, it starts hydrating the skin. This means that it doesn’t take long before the skin takes on a plumper and fuller finish.
These effects are harnessed by the Introstem AquaLift Anti-Aging Essence Solution. Designed for weekly use, this fast-acting formula quickly masks the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Sodium hyaluronate works alongside other ingredients that produce fast results, including acetyl hexapeptide-8, DMAE, and squalane. Meanwhile, grape stem cells, grape seed extract, cucumber fruit extract, and a selection of vitamins provide long-term antioxidant power.
The Pure Soothing Eye Jelly Masks Limited Edition
Another product that makes use of how quickly sodium hyaluronate kicks into action is the Pure Soothing Eye Jelly Masks Limited Edition. Jelly under-eye patches have been trending lately because of how they provide such a quick solution to some of the most common visible skin concerns that relate to the eye area, such as the appearance of puffiness, dark circles, and dullness.
With a blend of cutting-edge ingredients, our eye patches do all of this and more. You’ll find some unusual botanical extracts in this formula, such as chrysanthemum and geranium. Mint perks up the look of tired skin while aloe vera keeps the skin feeling calm and balanced. Store these masks in the fridge for a couple of hours before applying them to your face, and they’ll feel even more soothing!
The String Lift Sculpting System
Of course, it’s not just sodium hyaluronate that works well with grape stem cells. Hyaluronic acid, as well as other forms of the ingredient, all work synergistically with grape stem cells too. You’ll usually only find one or two forms of sodium hyaluronate/hyaluronic acid in skincare products, which is what makes the six different forms in the String Lift Sculpting System so outstanding.
Each form of hyaluronic acid has a different molecular weight. This means that each will be absorbed by your skin to a different degree. As you can imagine, this product provides some serious hydration, which is boosted by the other hydrating ingredients in this set. With grape stem cells providing a kick of antioxidants, it’s the perfect weekly treat for your skin.
Summary
There really is no need to choose between grape stem cells and sodium hyaluronate. Both are worthy ingredients that deserve a spot in your skincare routine! With the products we’ve featured above, this becomes easy. Give a few of them a try, and your skin will soon thank you!
Click here to shop for more grape stem cell-infused products from Introstem.
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