Review and comparison: Buffet serums from Purito and The Ordinary, plus a couple more peptide-based serums

Today I'd like to talk about a few peptide-based serums; I've been using some peptide-based skincare sporadically for a few years, but lately I started using peptides more consistently and so far I like the results. I'm going to get a look at various peptides and related research, to compare peptide combinations, applications and results of products that I've tried already, and to share my wish list and the reasoning behind it. Purito Centella Green Level Buffet serum is similar in concept to The Ordinary Buffet serum, so I felt it's fair to compare them side-by-side; I've also going to discuss Asterwood Naturals Argireline serum and Tosowoong AC-control treatment. As usual, I purchased all the products myself, and all opinions are my own; YMMV, I only speak from my personal experience.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet serum, Asterwood Naturals Argireline serum and The Ordinary Buffet serum

In order to be able to compare various peptide-based products, we should discuss briefly what peptides actually do when applied to the skin. There are several trade-marked peptides that are being used in many products, from toners to sunscreens, but how much of it is the marketing thing and how much is actual skincare innovation? At what step of the skincare routine should the peptide be used for the optimal results? What actually influences the effectiveness of the product - is it the amount of peptides used, or the efficiency of the vehicle (the medium used to contain active ingredients, or inactive ingredients in case of sunscreens)?

Most peptides that are being used in skincare are short chains of amino acids that might be attached to other chemicals (to fatty acids, in case of oligo-peptides, for example, or to metals, producing metal salts; more examples here) in order to improve their stability; they categorize as tri-, tetra-, or hexa-, etc peptides depending on how many amino acids are in the chain. Naturally peptides are produced in the skin by various enzymes and some other factors, like UV irradiation (Imokawa, 2008), and they can be further decomposed when applied on the skin as a part of skincare product; synthetic peptides are considered more stable on and within skin (link here). According to 2007 review of cosmeceutical peptides, "there are three main categories of cosmeceutical peptides: signal peptides, neurotransmitter-affecting peptides and carrier peptides" (Lupo MP, Cole AL, 2007). More recent review adds another class of topical peptides, carrier peptides (Schagen, SK, 2017).

Classification of topically used peptides by SK Schagen, 2017. From: www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/4/2/16/pdf

Picking the right peptides for the task is important, but picking the right vehicle for the chosen peptides is critical. Numerous studies had shown that larger peptides have problems permeating the skin so they can reach their targets. Our skin has multiple layers, and the very top layer, stratum corneum (picture here), is beyond any help from peptides; it consists of dead and dying cells on their way to sloth off. Most peptides are targeting dermis, the layer under the stratum corneum, and many peptides need quite a lot of help getting there. According to Britannica.com, "although non-polar chemicals cross the skin by diffusion through the stratum corneum, no active transport exists in the dead cells" (links to multiple articles here). In other words, the formulation has to be able to pass between 10 to 20 layers of dead skin cells in stratum corneum without any help from the those cells just to be able to reach their target destination, the living cells of the dermis. The size of the peptide (or other molecule), its electric charge, and its lipophilicity affect its abilities to dissolve in body fluids and cross the biological membranes. Lipophilicity, or the ability of a molecule to dissolve in oils and lipids, and other non-polar solvents, is often measured by LogP (link here and here), and the optimal LogP for skin permeation is below LogP 5 (Seng et al, 2018). While many skincare products boast large concentration of various peptides, the wrong choice of vehicle (or so-called inactive ingredients part of the formulation) might render them useless; if the peptides can't get to their target cells, the overall effect in vivo, or in living subjects, will be quite different from in vitro studies, in which peptides were applied directly on target cells cultures in petri dishes.

Various vehicles can be used for peptide-based skincare products. In very general terms we can divide vehicles as water-based, oil-based, or emulsions; emulsions can be simple water-in-oil (W/O) or oil-in-water (O/W), or a multiple, like water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion. As a result, we can have products with the same peptides, or other actives, in form of creams, gels, ampoules, essences, and serums, and their ability to deliver peptides into dermis will differ significantly (Date AA, Patravale VB, 2007; Kreilgaard, 2002). For example, it was shown that "the type of emulsion (w/o vs. o/w emulsion), the droplet size, the emollient, the emulsifier as well as the surfactant organization (micelles, lyotropic liquid crystals) in the emulsion may affect the cutaneous and percutaneous absorption" (Otto et al, 2009). According to the same authors, "the skin penetration of active ingredients is influenced by a continuous change in equilibrium between the active ingredient, vehicle and skin." There are other ways to adjust the skin permeability of a peptide-based formulations; according to Seng et al (2018), "other than modifying the formulation, several techniques have been put forth to overcome the stratum corneum for other peptide drugs, for e.g., chemical enhancers, ionophoresis, microneedles, sonophoresis, thermal and radiofrequency ablation, jet injectors and electroporation." Some of those methods require a trip to a spa, or dermatologist's office, or a cosmetologists, but a few, such as micro-needling, ionophoresis and micro-currents, can be done at home (Kalluri h, Banga A, 2011).

That's quite an intro, but I feel like we should clear out certain misconceptions when it comes to peptide-based skincare, since there is a lot of marketing spiels floating around the blogosphere that don't actually describe the exact mechanisms involved. Let's move on to the the products that I'm going to compare today; they are all serums or essences that are meant to be used early in skincare routine, after cleansing and a basic toner.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum - PR info

Let's start with Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum. Purito does not list the exact amount of the peptides used, choosing to concentrate on beneficial properties of Centella Asiatica instead (official website here). It has remarkably clean ingredients (full ingredients list on cosdna here), making it suitable for sensitive skin. I'm going to discuss the peptides first and then move on to the vehicle. Purito Buffet serum has five peptides, and all of them are oligo-peptides: Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-7, and Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum full ingredients list with EWG ratings (from the brand's website)

The combination of two peptides on this list - Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 - is commercially known as Matryxil 3000 (short description here and here). The former consists of a fragment of Type I collagen attached to a fatty acid (palmitic acid, hence the name Palmitoyl); tripeptide means that it has only three amino acids, glycine-histidine-lysine, hence the name pal-GHK. It has  a molecular weight of 578.80 and an estimated LogP 4.81 (source here). In order for Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 to work it has to reach a layer of cells that are capable of producing new collagen; as a fragment of collagen it will be recognized by those cells as a sign that they should produce more collagen to replace what was destroyed. Therefore, we can say that Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is a signal, or messenger, peptide for a collagen renewal. Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is "comparable to retinoic acid with regards to its activity, but it does not trigger irritation" (Schagen, 2017).

Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is not exclusive to Matryxil 3000; it's used in other actives, such as Bio-Bustil PH by Sederma (Aqua, Rahnella/Soy Protein Ferment, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12; link here), that acts as a firming, energizing, tightening and conditioning agent; Regestril by Sederma (Butylene Glycol, Aqua, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Rutin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 and Phaseolus Lunatus (Green Bean) Seed Extract; link here), that is used as as an anti-stretch mark, skin conditioning, repairing and regenerating agent; and Haloxyl by Sederma (Aqua, Glycerin, Steareth-20, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7; link here), that lessens under-eye dark circles and activates the elimination of blood originated pigments and degradation products responsible for dark circles and local inflammation.

Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 was previously known as Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3. Its been used in many skincare products, such as Olay Pro-X line, Estee Lauder Perfectionist serum, Givenchy Le Soin Noir Yeux, and POND'S Age miracle wrinkle corrector night cream, among many others. It utilizes a different mechanism of action compared to Palmitoyl tripeptide-1; it acts by reducing inflammation in the dermis, and therefore "potentially reduce the cumulative amount of damage that occurs following exposure to UV light, pollution, internal stress, and other pro-inflammatory factors.  Cells exposed to UV radiation and then treated with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 saw an 86% reduction of interleukin production" (source here). Supposedly it "suppress the production of excess interleukins, the chemical messengers that trigger the body’s acute inflammatory response, and  prevents glycation damage, or the process by which glucose links with proteins and causes them to bind together, stiffening tissues" (source here). Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 has not been studied extensively; I was able to find a single study that shown that in vivo a blend of palmitoyl oligopeptide and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 improved the structure of of dermal extracellular matrix vs placebo (Mondon et al, 2015). Nevertheless, Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 is widely used as a part of Matryxil 3000 that was shown to be quite effective.

Palmitoyl Dipeptide-7 is a smaller peptide that was exclusive to Olay for a while; together with Palmitoyl Dipeptide-4 it was used in many Olay Pro-X products, including their eye creams, as well as SK-II eye products (both SK-II and Olay brands belong to The Procter & Gamble Company; it's funny how many high-end skincare products have sisters and cousins sitting on drugstore shelves), such as SK-II LXP Ultimate Perfecting Eye Cream and SK II RNA Power Anti-Aging Eye Cream, among others. There are some studies that confirm the efficacy of Palmitoyl Dipeptide-7 in products for photo-aged skin with periorbital wrinkles (list of references here). While some of the studies were in vitro, one group of researchers did a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, split-face, left-right randomized clinical study of 93 Caucasian females age 35-55; presumably, there were significant improvements in wrinkles on peptide side of the test subject's faces, but, unfortunately, the study was closely affiliated with The Procter & Gamble Company (Robinson et al, 2005), and I'm rather skeptical  when it comes to a sponsored research. 


Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12 was formerly known as palmitoyl oligopeptide (source here). It has a molecular weight of 737.00 and a logP of 5.09 (source here), lower than many other peptides, like Argireline. It's a part of elastin molecule attached to a palmitic acid; it was shown to enhance angiogenesis, or grows of blood vessels, in vivo (ref. 40 and 41 here), and chemotactic activity against monocytes, fibroblasts, and tumor cells (ref. 47, 48 and 49 here). The amino acid sequence in  is a repeating peptide in tropoelastin, and study results have demonstrated that tropoelastin and elastin-derived peptides are chemotactic for fibroblasts and monocytes (ref. 50, 51, and 52 here). By reducing the production of interleukins, molecules that promote inflammation, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12 slows down the degradation of the skin matrix and (possibly) also stimulates its replenishment (Schagen, 2017). Unfortunately the only study of the cutaneous application of Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12 was performed on 10 subjects and seems to be heavily commercially influenced, so I'm not going to use it here. 

Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10 is a part of Un-Wrinkle blend of peptides used by Peter Thomas Roth in some of their products (here); it's included in many protein complexes manufactured by Corum (here) as a powerful anti-oxidant. Structurally it consists of carnosine molecule with attached fatty acid (here). According by a Corum - sponsored study, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10 has significant DNA-protecting effect when applied in high concentrations. Unlike carnosine, that can't penetrate stratum corneum, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10 is lipophylic and can diffuse in epidermis and dermis (here). I wasn't able to find any studies on effects on Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10, despite it being used in multiple skincare products; EU regulation databas lists is as a skin conditioning agent without any particulars (here).

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum - PR info; active ingredients

Let's move on to the vehicle used by Purito; I'm not sure if I can call it that, since it's quite active formulation by itself, and I can't really refer to it as "inactive ingredients".  It contains ingredients that help to strengthen and repair skin barrier and to deal with skin inflammation, such as Centella Asiatica extract, madecassic and asiatic acids, and asiaticoside, which are the regular components of so-called cica creams. I spoke about cica creams briefly when I discussed my favorite French pharmacy products (here), but last couple years I've seen great many new cica-based skincare products being introduced by various K-beauty brands that deserve more attention; not all of those products are creams, so now we have cica-based sleeping masks, cleansers, eye creams, etc. However, not all of them have equally high amounts of Centella Asiatica extracts, and that's where Purito serum shines; it has 49% of it, it's the first ingredient on the list (cosdna here). Lately cica ingredients had been used in products that are formulated to counteract heat ageing due to their notable calming properties.

Another notable ingredient in Purito's top five list is niacinamide, and 1,2-hexanediol is seventh, just outside of top five. The former, along with adenosine, that is also present in Purito serum, is widely used  in various skincare products, from toners to sleeping masks to sunscreens. According to Paula Bedoin, "niacinamide is a very effective skin-restoring ingredient that offers multiple benefits for aging skin. Among these benefits is the ability to visibly improve the appearance of enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, fine lines, dullness, and a weakened skin surface (link here). Niacinamide can also mitigate the damage environmental attack can cause, and is stable in the presence of heat and light" (link here). The latter is a water-soluble viscosity controlling additive that also has multiple benefits. TruthInAging states (link here) that, "according to a patent filed by Proctor and Gamble (link here), Hexanediol and 1,2-hexanediol is a highly effective and mild coupling agent and humectant. It is especially useful when bonding silicone products and can be used at lower concentrations than many other coupling agents, therefore reducing its irritation likeliness." Also, "1,2-hexanediol contains many chemicals in its composition, including: Alpha-Lipoic acids, an antioxidant; Chrysin, a anti-inflammatory bioflavonoid; Diosgenin, a maintainer of healthy blood cholesterol levels; Glucosamine Hydrochloride, which slows joint degeneration; and Indole-3-Carbinol, a nutrient that may prevent cancer" (link here). To be fair, I have to say that generally I don't trust a corporate-sponsored research that proves that your skincare can help to cure your cancer and diabetes while fighting your fine lines and sun spots, but I've seen 1,2-hexanediol being mentioned in some research publication and used in many products, so personally I think it's more than a marketing fluke. I had good experiences wit products that contained 1,2-hexanediol, and I'm going to look up the relevant research when I get a chance.


Last, but not least, Purito serum has some other plant extracts added, such as licorice, green tea, sea daffodil and alteromonas. Licorice is widely used in skincare for its anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, and soothing capabilities (link here). Camellia Sinensis, or green tea, is he main ingredient of many skincare lines, so I don't think it needs any special introduction. Sea daffodil is less known in skincare, but lately it's been used in skincare as "an anti-dark spots neuroactive ingredient" (link here). According to that supplier's claims, it "inhibits POMC expression and intracellular melanin synthesis and reduces the melanocyte dendricity and the synthesis of receptors for Substance P. By inhibiting cellular stress molecules and the action of Substance P, Neurolight.61G (it's the supplier name for the preservative-free, water soluble, aqueous extract of pancratium maritimum, also known as sea daffodil or sand lily, with glycerin and water in the formulation, that is marketed as brightening agent) explores an original and innovative action mechanism to significantly reduce the size and the pigmentation of dark spots." There is some research on effects of sea daffodil extracts in cancer therapy (Tayoub et al, 2018), but it's not coming from a well-known facility, and I'm not sure how relevant it can be to skincare application of the extract. Lastly, alteromonas ferment extract is supposedly helps repairing skin surface, as well as soothing and moisturizing (link here). On top of that, Purito serum has some ceramides and some hyaluronic acid added to further improve skin barrier and to moisturize the skin.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum

I think this might be the longest ingredients overview I've posted so far; moving on to the application and results. I was pleasantly surprised by Purito Buffet serum's texture. Most Centella-based products I've tried had heavier, creamier textures compared to similar products with other plant extracts, but Buffet has light, gel-like texture; it's easy to spread on my skin, and it absorbs fast unless I use too much products. Actually, Purito recommends using small amounts of serum (1-2 pumps) per application - there is a how-to on the back of the bottle, and yes, it's in English! Globalization is real, and I appreciate that. I find that one pump is perfect amount for the whole face and neck on my skin, but someone with dry or normal skin might need two pumps. The brand describes the texture as "somewhere between a watery type and a dewy type, that can flow down a bit", but I never had any issues with the serum being too liquid-y and dripping everywhere.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum storage recommendation (from the brand's website)

I've been using Purito Buffet at least once daily for almost five months, and I still have almost half a bottle left. The brand recommends storing Buffet in a refrigerator to preserve freshness, but since I'm using it every morning (and often at evenings as well), I keep mine in my bathroom. The pump bottle is the most hygienic packaging for serums in my opinion, and so far I haven't noticed any issues with the serum's quality; as far as I can say, there is no oxidation or anything else of the sort. In order to get EWG certification Purito omitted parabens and preservatives in the formulation;  the shelf life is 12 months after opening. I'm fairly sure I will finish the bottle before it expires, but I'm not going to buy a backup until I'm close to being done with my current one, and I will definitely store the backup in my refrigerator, as recommended.

I think I started seeing the result after one week; my skin calmed down, overall redness went down, and skin barrier started to improve; I believe that the Centella Asiatica and other plant extracts in the formulation might be responsible for that. The peptides started to produce any results much later, after approximately couple months of use; I don't have noticeable wrinkles except for nasolabial folds and small under-eye wrinkles, so I can't comment on anti-wrinkle effects of the serum, but I've noticed that my pores seem to be less noticeable, and my skin feels more resilient overall.

At first I was applying Purito Buffet after P50 and whatever bifida- and galactomyces-based  first essences I used that day (I have a few, and I prefer to use them interchangeably, mixing and matching depending on how my skin feels that day), before anti-oxidant serum and moisturizer. It proved to be too much for my skin in hot summer weather though, and currently I'm using Buffet right after P50 followed by a gel moisturizer. My skin tends to overreact to hot weather, turning bright red right after I walk out of the door in the morning and staying red even when I'll get to the safety of AC; usually cica creams help me with all kinds of redness issues.  However, it's hard to use cica creams in hot summer weather, because they are just too heavy for my oily skin; this serum is light enough even for 90+F days, and it's working just as well as a regular cica cream fighting the redness. It even affects PIE I get after breakouts - I've stopped using whitening serums a couple month ago to figure out what product was responsible for the brightening, and I can't say that my PIE last much longer now compared to two-serums routine. I'm definitely going to repurchase Purito Buffet, and I'm planning to try more Purito products in the future.

The Ordinary PR for their Buffet serum (from the brand's website)

The Ordinary Buffet serum has slightly different peptide combination and fairly different vehicle compared to Purito Buffet (TO website here). Its ingredients list raises several red flags on cosdna (here); it has PEGs and preservatives, among other potentially irritating ingredients. TO changes the ingredients list often; the version that I've used (I bought it less than a month after the release date) included linalool (or perhaps it was limonene) and other ingredients with EWG ratings of 5-7; unfortunately, I don't have a screen grab, so I'm referring to current formulation. I've got the impression that after TO moved to the Asian markets, they adjusted the ingredients lists of their products to better match the expectations and compete with local beauty brands and the "clean beauty" trend.

Lets get a look at the peptides used in TO Buffet: Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Pentapeptide-18, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate (or Dipeptide-2), and Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 are known as Matrixyl 3000, and I've discussed them in detail in Purito part of this post; again, I'm not sure how the exact concentrations of Matrixyl differ between Purito and TO Buffet serums, but this is the peptide ingredient that they have in common.

Argireline, or Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, or Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, depending on which analogue was used, is a synthetic acetyl hexapeptide that mimics Botox in skin; various analogues of this relatively large peptide were created in attempts to improve its skin permeation. Just like Botox, argireline is targeting a neuromuscular junction. It has to be able to permeate stratum corneum, epidermis and dermis in order to be able to bind to a receptor in the muscle tissue, and so far the only research I was able to find that achieved some kind of stratum corneum permeation was in vitro (like Hoppel et al, 2015, or Kraeling et al, 2015), and not in living patients; I just want it to be clear that whatever effects you might be getting from argireline, it's not going to be similar to Botox injections, since it will be affecting a different tissues. There is some data on efficacy of argireline for prevention and correction of wrinkles, both in vivo and in vitro, such as the series of studies performed by a Chinese group led by Y. Wang, that claimed to prove that in Chinese subjects and in mice in vivo application of argireline twice daily for 6 weeks resulted in significant improvement in collagen formation (Wang et al, 2013, Wang et al, 2013,Wang et al, 2013 (on mice)). While I find it puzzling from the ethical standpoint that Wang et al chose to test on mice after testing on people, and not the other way around, my biggest issue with their data is that none of it comes from a double-blind study, and only one of their studies was randomized and placebo-controlled. To summarize, while argireline might be structurally similar to Botox, the anti-wrinkle effect it produces comes from a different mechanism of action, and should not be confused with Botox injections, no matter what PR nonsense you can find on Internet.

Pentapeptide-18 is supposed to work synergistically with  argireline (here). It's targeting the same receptor on the outside of the nerve cell; therefore, it has the same issue with its cutaneous application - it has to reach its target receptor by permeating our skin barrier and dermis. It has approximately the same molecular weight as Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 (here), so it's not really small enough to just speed up through our skin to reach our facial muscles. EWG database has no data available on it (here), and neither does PubMed.

Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine is marketed as Relistase, and it's a tripeptide that "inhibits elastase activity and boosts collagen 1 synthesis. It has also been designed to treat sagginess and restore firmness to the skin. The manufacturer claims that women around the age of 49 saw a 14% improvement in overall elasticity within 8 weeks," according to Truth in Aging (link to their post here). InciDecoder describes it as "a cell-communicating tetrapeptide that is designed to treat sagginess and unfirmness in mature skin. It works by inhibiting an enzyme (elastase) that breaks down proteins (e.g. collagen) as well as by stimulating type I collagen synthesis" (link here). Personally I believe InciDecoder, since SpecialChem describes it as "Botox-like firming agent obtained by the reaction of acetic acid, arginine, phenylglycine and tryptophan" (link here). It's being Produced by Lipotec (website here).

Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, or Dipeptide-2, is a part of Syn-ake complex that was trending in K-beauty a couple years ago. Originally Syn-ake was developed by a Swedish company Pentapharm Ltd (link here) as a synthetic variant of Walgerin-1, a peptide found in snake venom (here); supposedly it relaxes expression lines that can cause wrinkles.  Like argireline, Syn-ake was marketed as a safer alternative to Botox, but there is very little research behind those PR claims. Despite this lack of objective data, quite a few skincare products, including fairly expensive ones from high-end brands, such as Drunk Elephant, Perricone MD, Givenchy, Peter Thomas Roth, and StriVectin, among many others, include it as one of their star ingredients.



Such considerable amount of various actives can make a choice of a vehicle quite difficult. Current version of TO Buffet claims to have 25.1% of actives in the formula by weight, but it includes Probiotic complex (with lactococcus lactis lysate), in a base of 11 skin-friendly amino acids and multiple hyaluronic acid complexes (TO website here). Previous version of TO Buffet - the one that I was using - had 12.5% of all peptides in the formula by weight, and back then they did not include HA or anything else in total actives. I've got to learn to save screen-grabs for TO products the moment I bought them, since they tend to change their ingredients and product descriptions rather often.

I don't have any product left for a swatch picture, sorry; however, it's quite easy to find a video on YouTube demonstrating the serum's texture. While some bloggers advise to use a large amount of the products (anywhere from 5 drops to the whole pipette), I've noticed that I had absorption issues when I used more than 3 drops. Usually I'm trying to apply products with actives in early steps of my skincare routine; as a rule, lightweight products like toners and water-y essences should be applied under heavier, more moisturizing formulations, so I prefer my actives in lighter, less viscous vehicles. During the winter, I tend to layer a couple serums or essences in my am routine, and TO Buffet did not play fair with the rest of my skincare. I could not layer anything on top of it until it was fully absorbed, and if I accidentally used an extra drop of it, I had to either wipe the product off or wait extra 10 minutes. I found this obsessive counting of drops rather uncomfortable in the morning, when I'm not fully awake yet; perhaps a pump would make it easier for me, but all TO serums come in dropper bottles. On a days when I was in a hurry I was forced to skip using other serums on top of TO and proceed straight to my old reliable Missha Super Aqua Ultra Water-full emulsion that can force almost anything to behave and to layer better under my creams and sunscreens, but even that wasn't always enough; TO Buffet is one of the most persistently sticky skincare products I've ever tried.

Overall, I did not get any noticeable results after using the whole bottle of TO Buffet; I blame the heavy, viscous vehicle for that, because if the actives are not being absorbed properly, they have no chance to do anything for my skin. I've tried using the serum right after micro-needling, since it's obviously gives all products a direct way to the dermis, but I can't do the procedure often enough to get any consistent results, so it didn't make any difference in a long run. I had better luck with micro currents; unlike micro-needling, it's not an invasive procedure, so I was able to do it daily, if I had extra time in the mornings. At first I tried to use my Hitachi Hada Crie right after the application or TO Buffet, but I've noticed considerable pilling; when I started layering TO under either another serum or Missha emulsion before using the gadget, pilling was not an issue, but it was just too time-consuming. I have to admit, it felt almost infuriating - the whole blogosphere was praising TO Buffet as the most innovative product since the Stone Age that performed endless miracles on their skin, my YouTube feed was littered with 5-star reviews, and here I was, stressing over the number of drops at 6am just to make it absorb, leave alone do anything... I think some products are just not meant for certain skin types, and no matter how hard you try to make them work, you're not going to get the desired effect. I know TO Buffet was reformulated slightly, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to give it a second chance; after all, I was quite persistent and used the whole bottle before admitting to getting practically no results. I'm not going to repurchase TO Buffet anytime soon, sorry; it might be one of the most hyped over serums, but my skin is saying NO to it.

There are some other peptide-based serums that I'd like to mention briefly; I feel that they are somewhat comparable to both Buffet serums. Even though they don't have as many various peptides included as Buffet serums do, they offer better-researched argireline (in case of Asterwood Naturals), or plant-based vehicle that was carefully formulated to work in synergy with chosen peptides (in case of Tosowoong).

1. Asterwood Naturals Argireline serum with hyaluronic acid

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet serum, Asterwood Naturals Argireline serum and The Ordinary Buffet serum

This is a lovely lightweight serum (cosdna here) that basically has nothing but water, argireline complex, HA, and a small amount of preservatives (official website here). I was going to try TO Argireline  solution 10% (this one), but while TO states that their formulation is oil and silicone-free and water-based because, according to some studies, higher water content results in better utility of argireline, I was concerned that I might have absorption issues again, like I had with TO Buffet. I wasn't able to find the studies TO is referring to; there is a study by Hoppel et all (2015) claims that "a clear superiority of water-rich W/O/W and O/W emulsions over an oil-rich W/O emulsion in terms of dermal delivery of AH-8 was found", however, there is a difference between water-based and water-rich vehicles.  Since Asterwood Naturals serums are selling on Amazon with Prime shipping, it was more convenient for me than ordering from TO website, plus it comes in different sizes.

I got mine in 4oz size bottle because I was planning to test it for a few months to see if argireline is working for my skin; however, a little goes a long way, and I have about 1/5 of a bottle left after using it twice daily for a year. It has lower concentration of argireline than TO (3% vs 10%), and the brand warns you that it'll take time to see the results; according to their How-To page, "while some people see changes as soon as 2-4 weeks, it may take others 6-8 weeks to see a difference. Around 6 months, you should reach the maximum benefits" (link here). I think I started seeing the results in 3-4 weeks, as I've been using it twice daily; it has gentle enough on my skin to be used when micro-needling (I've stopped micro-needling a while ago, but I never had any issues with this particular serum, and while it absorbs well enough as is, micro-needling was helping to put it deep into lower layers of my skin for better results). It has very lightweight consistency, it absorbs in under a minute, and as I said, a little goes a long way, I needed a few drops o cover my face and neck. I didn't notice any pilling, it layered well under all my serums and heavier essences without affecting their absorption rate, which I though was great for multi-layer routine. Overall, I liked this serum, and I'm going to try Argireline+Matryxil version of it (see my wish list).



2. Tosowoong AC-control treatment

Tosowoong AC-control treatment - ingredients info from the brand's website

I got this product as a part of mystery box from Memebox, back when they used to sell products instead of being just a database. I'm severely allergic to honey and bee products, so I would never think about buying it myself, but since Memebox used to love to add honey-based products in most of their boxes, I got to try quite a few; some of them didn't have enough bee products to trigger any reactions from me, but this one certainly did. 

Tosowoong AC-control treatment - ingredients info from the brand's website

It has nice, clean ingredients (cosdna here), including EGF (RH-Oligopeptide-1) and bee venom, or apitoxin, which is a natural mix of proteins, such as melittin (50%+ of total peptide content) and adolapin (2-3%), that has some use in both healthcare (here) and skincare (here). While this product didn't work out for me, it made some immediate improvements when I tested it on my husband's skin; his skin (normal, non-reactive, sometimes slightly dehydrated) looked more hydrated and supple, and it felt much softer. He's not into skincare, unfortunately, so he wasn't using it unless reminded, and the bottle was gathering dust on our bathroom shelves until it expired. I'm going to reuse the spray bottle for my beloved Kikomasamune High Moist, since it's one of the best spray bottles I've ever tried. It produces fine mist consistently, unlike quite a few K-beauty mist spray bottles; sometimes the product itself is quite good and my skin likes it, but the packaging is abysmal, and instead of the mist spray it leaves me with a few big blobs of product on my (otherwise unaffected) face that I have to smother around with my hands, ruining the whole purpose of using a mist spray...  

When I checked the brand's website (here), I've noticed that several of their skincare lines share the same main ingredients, such as Bifida and Galactomyces ferment filtrates, V.Berry complex, and Centella Asiatica, while excluding many harmful ingredients, such as parabens and artificial fragrance. Even though this mist didn't work out for me, I'm quite impressed with it's quality overall, so I'm definitely going to try some other Tosowoong products that are formulated without any honey or bee products.


3. Tony Moly Bio EX Cell Peptide essence 

Tony Moly Bio EX Cell Peptide line - PR info

Tony Moly is best known for affordable makeup that's formulated with teenagers and college students in mind; while they do have some skincare, I don't remember seeing anything targeting 30+ consumers. However, recently they came up with a whole line of wrinkle care and anti-aging products - Bio EX Cell peptide. It consists of toner, emulsion, cream, essence, ampoules, and wrinkle perfector set. It priced somewhat higher than the usual Tony Moly skincare, but it claims to have relatively high concentrations of actives, including several peptides. I was made aware of the line's existence when one of the K-beauty sellers on eBay send me a sampler of the essence (cosdna here).

The essence turned out to be rather thick; in consistency it's closer to an emulsion than to a regular essence/ampoule, but despite that it's not as moisturizing as you would expect it to be. It comes out opaque white in color, and it has a mild fresh scent, not unlike the laundry detergents of the same description, that does not linger for more than a couple minutes after application. I felt a slight tingling sensation right after application, but it went away in 15-20 minutes. It took about 10 minutes to absorb properly, and it left me with shiny, sticky to a touch skin, so I wouldn't describe this serum as easy to layer.  I've noticed several whiteheads after using this serum, so I'm not interested in using it, but it might work out better on dry or normal skin.



TL;DR:

To summarize and compare peptide complexes used in both Buffet serums:

- while both got Matryxil 3000, Purito supplements it with a few less known Palmitoyl peptides that target wrinkles, particularly in the eye area, and TO uses a number of less-researched, but well-marketed peptides that mimic Botox, including argireline.

- while all peptides have some issues with skin permeation, Botox-like peptides will most likely never reach their targets to produce the marketed effect, since their targets are actually face muscles, not the skin. Supposedly, they're still doing something in the skin, but the mechanism must be different from whatever PR spiels are claiming.

To summarize and compare vehicles ( or so-called "non-active" ingredients) used in both Buffet serums:

- TO is considerably more viscous than Purito, and on my oily skin absorption was a HUGE issue.

- unlike TO, Purito has quite a few well-known homeopathic ingredients in its vehicle (such as Centella Asiatica), that are sensitive skin-friendly and were shown to  improve skin barrier.

- Purito has less known skin irritants and acne triggering ingredients in its formulation than TO.

Overall, Purito noticeably reduced redness and PIE on my cheeks and chin areas; I've noticed that my skin looked brighter and felt more resilient to a touch, and its barrier function  seemed to improve quite a bit. In comparison, TO did not seem to do anything for my skin barrier, and I've noticed almost no changes in skin tone and/or resilience after using the whole bottle of the product. Asterwood Naturals Argireline serum was more effective than TO Buffet, affecting small wrinkles in eye area and overall skin resilience, but it lacked the beneficial effects of plan-based vehicle of Purito Buffet serum.


What is on my shopping list:


1. Tosowoong Green Tea Brightening Essence Treatment

Actually, I cheated and bought it a few weeks ago when I finished one of my anti-oxidant serums, Accoje Vital in Jeju (I'm going to review it sometimes soon, along with a couple more anti-oxidant-based products), and had a free serum slot in evening routine. I just got it delivered less than a week ago, so I haven't been using it long enough to be able to talk about any kind of consistent results, that's why it's on my shopping list only; all I can discuss at the moment is its ingredients and my first impressions.

Tosowoong Green Tea Brightening Essence Treatment has patented berry complex (info from the brand's website)

Ingredient-wise Tosowoong essence is closer to Purito than TO; like Purito, it has a number of plant extracts (cosdna here), including their patented berry complex (see above), Centella Asiatica and green tea (75% of the product, according to the brand's website here), rice and witch hazel extracts, among others, as well as Galactomyces and Bifida ferment filtrates. It uses a different peptide though; RH-Oligopeptide-1, or EGF, is human growth factor. It's bigger in size, so technically it's a protein, not a peptide, but since it's targeting dermal cells, not a muscle tissue like Botox-like peptides, absorption is less of an issue. It was studied in more detail than all peptides I've mentioned here combined (check out PubMed list of publications on EGF here), and it's widely used in current skincare.

Tosowoong essence sells for about $20 on Peach and Lily (here), where it seems to be permanently sold out, and for $10-15 on YesStyle, Ebay and Amazon, so it's definitely budget-friendly. Like Purito Buffet, it has gel-like texture, but feels less fluid, and more stiff, if it makes any sense;  I'm not sure how to describe it, but after I pump it out on my hand, it's not spreading out, like Purito, but sitting in a blob instead, more like a scooped Jell-o. It takes longer to absorb as well, and I had some issues with it pilling when used under sunscreen and/or gel moisturizer. I'll try to update you on my results in a couple months.

2. Care:Nel Skin Recharge Perfection Repair Concentrated Ampoule

Care:Nel Skin Recharge Perfection Repair Concentrated Ampoule ingredients list

While the brand website is in Korean (product page here), the box has most of the text in English (including ingredients list), as you can see from the picture above. Yes, I already purchased it, but as I haven't been using it, I'm still putting this ampoule in wish list category, like the Green Tea treatment. It's out of stock on Amazon, but I got mine for under $15 on eBay, and I think some other K-beauty sellers have it also; it's priced very conservatively for the amount of product (75ml), it's one of the brand's bestsellers, and it has both Centella Asiatica extract and argireline, so I felt like I should definitely give it a try.

Care:Nel Skin Recharge Perfection Repair Concentrated Ampoule ingredients info from the brand's website

The name is a mouthful, but this ampoule has a lot going on. It has quite a few plant extracts, including Centella Asiatica and rock pine (cosdna here), arbutine and adenosine for whitening, hyaluronic acid (which is second on ingredient list) for extra hydration, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizinate, or K2, for reducing inflammation, and acetyl hexapeptide-8, or argireline, which we already discussed above. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any info on exact concentrations of all those extracts and actives, it's all Korean and in picture form (see picture above). I'm going to give it a try when I'll run out of one of my current serums.

3. Asterwood Naturals MATRIXYL 3000™ + ARGIRELINE™ peptide with Organic Hyaluronic Acid Serum

This serum has very simple and clean ingredients; according to the brand's website, it has: Distilled Water (Aqua), Matrixil 3000 (Glycerin, Water, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Terapeptid-7), Argireline peptide (Water, Potassium Sorbate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Phenoxyethanol), Organic Vegan Hyaluronic Acid (Sodium Hyaluronate), Contains less than 2% of Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid (cosdna here).

This product is very similar to the Argireline serum from the same brand, and since I liked it quite a lot, I'm going to buy it when I'll get through my current peptide-based serums. Currently one of Asterwood Naturals products, The Hyaluronic Acid serum, is in top 100 Best Sellers on Amazon in  Facial treatments category, so I hope Amazon will continue carrying the brand in the future.


4. NIOD CAIS serum

This is another blogger-beloved Deciem product; both TO and NIOD belong to Deciem, but NIOD is the higher end brand with price tag to match. While both have cult following, Niod is generally agreed to be more functional than TO. CAIS serum has many different peptides in its formulation, and some of them are so-called drone peptides that are facilitating the skin absorption for other actives in the formulation (official website here). Currently I'm using a peptide-based eye serum with drone peptides, and while it's too early to talk about results, it seems to be working for me. I'd going to try a face serum with drone peptides next, but I'm a bit concerned with Deciem choices of vehicles. I'd like to be able to swatch their products before buying them, so I'll make my decision when I get to the Deciem store, and I'm not in a hurry, since I have so many serums sitting on my bathroom shelves, waiting to be used before they expire...