Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
- 95% look of redness reduced Ingredient study Azeloyl Diglycinate over 6 weeks
THE FORMULA
No ingredient in here is a token.
PAD 8%. Niacinamide 7%. Retinol 0.3% encapsulated. Every dose is the concentration proven to work in peer-reviewed clinical trials. No weak actives hidden in proprietary blends. Read the data. Verify the dose. These are the seven actives, what each does, and exactly how much of each is in every bottle.
8
Actives, doses printed
100%
Every dose printed
0
Fillers or padding
Dose comparison
Most serums use actives at label doses. Not therapeutic doses.
The difference between something that works and something that looks good on a label.
Vector ONE
Typical serum
Studied range
Niacinamide
7%
2–4%
5–10%
PAD
8%
1–3%
5–10%
Vitamin C (stable)
6%
1–3%
3–8%
Retinol (encapsulated)
0.3%
0.01–0.1%
0.1–0.3%
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
5%
1–3%
3–10%
Glycerin
4%
1–3%
3–5%
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
3%
0.05–0.5%
1–3%
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
2%
0.05–0.3%
0.5–2%
Studied range = the concentration range used in the published studies that produced measurable results. Below this range, most actives don't move a measurable needle.
All seven actives
What each molecule does. Exactly.
01
8%
PAD
Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
95% less visible redness in a 6-week study. Zero adverse events.
Calms visible redness and irritation at the source, not by masking it. Regulates the sebum overproduction that testosterone drives. Rebuilds the lipid barrier after shaving daily destroys it. The reason retinol's first weeks land far gentler here than retinol used alone.
Read the published data →
02
7%
NMD
Niacinamide
88% smaller-looking pores in an 8-week study. Three mechanisms at once.
Vitamin B3. Minimises pores by reducing the excess sebum that stretches them. Strengthens the lipid barrier. Inhibits melanin transfer that causes uneven tone. Male skin produces 3× more sebum, which means niacinamide at 7% works harder here than in any women's formula.
Read the published data →
03
6%
3-OEA
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
93% brightness improvement in a 12-week study. Stable in formulation.
Vitamin C that doesn't degrade in the bottle. Most Vitamin C serums oxidise into a useless orange before you finish them. Vector ONE uses 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid instead: a stable ether derivative that penetrates deeper and converts to active Vitamin C inside the dermis. Protects against oxidative damage from day one.
Read the published data →
04
5%
AH8
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
+47% increase in collagen synthesis signalling. Expression line reduction.
Argireline. Softens the repeated muscle micro-contractions that etch expression lines deeper year after year. Fewer contractions mean less mechanical creasing. Testosterone-driven collagen loss speeds up in the 30s and 40s, and this is built for that phase.
Read the published data →
05
4%
GLY
Glycerin
The hydration base. Not counted among the seven actives, and we claim nothing for it.
The humectant that draws moisture into the skin from multiple depths and holds it there. Hot water and shaving strip the barrier every morning; glycerin at 4% is there every night to counter it. It is what lets seven actives sit on the same face without stripping it. A base, not an active.
Shop Vector ONE →
06
3%
PT-1
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Stimulates fibroblasts to increase collagen-I mRNA expression by 47%.
Matrikine peptide. Signals your skin's fibroblasts to produce new collagen, addressing the structural cause of aging, not just the appearance. Works over weeks, compounds over months. Pairs with PT-7 for synergistic effect neither delivers alone.
Read the published data →
07
2%
PT-7
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Helps keep skin looking calm while stronger actives do their work. Published supplier panel at 15 ppm.
The partner to PT-1. While PT-1 builds new collagen, PT-7 prevents inflammatory pathways from breaking it down. Two-peptide synergy: one builds, one protects. Works at the cellular level on the aging processes that accelerate fastest in men over 35.
Read the published data →
08
0.3%
ROL
Encapsulated Retinol
44% fewer wrinkles at 12 months in a published RCT. Far less peeling than raw retinol.
The most-studied anti-aging active in cosmetics. 0.3% encapsulated = gradual time-released activation. Your skin eases into it with far less of the irritation raw retinol is known for.
Read the published data →Formulation science
Why seven actives and a hydration base beat any three on their own.
Skincare fails when actives conflict. This formula was built so each ingredient makes the others work harder.
PAD is why retinol's first weeks hit far gentler here
Retinol at 0.3% speeds up skin cell turnover, and the first weeks are where most men quit: flaking, tightness, the red patch along the jaw. PAD at 8% is in the formula for exactly that reason. It is one of the most soothing actives in cosmetics, and it is in the same bottle rather than a separate step, so it is already on the skin before the retinol gets going. In the published testing behind PAD it produced zero adverse events, on a par with placebo. It is the reason 0.3% retinol is in this formula at all.
PT-1 for firmness. PT-7 for comfort.
These two were studied as a pair, so we use them as a pair. PT-1 is the firmness side. PT-7 is there for comfort, which is what lets a formula this heavily loaded (seven actives over a disclosed glycerin base) sit easily on a face instead of fighting it. Together they are the combination sold as Matrixyl 3000, and the 56-day split-face data on that pair at 3% as supplied recorded 45% less surface area taken up by deep wrinkles. That figure is manufacturer data cited in a review rather than an independent trial, and it belongs to the pair, not to either peptide on its own.
Niacinamide + PAD: the oil and pores pair
Niacinamide at 7% is in the formula for oil and the look of pores. Men's skin runs oilier, and the link between oil output and pore size is measurably stronger in men (r=0.47) than in women (r=0.38). PAD at 8% comes at the same complaint from the calm side, taking down the visible redness and roughness that heavy oil leaves behind. Neither does what the two do together. The 88% smaller-looking pores and 95% less visible redness in the published studies came from each ingredient doing its own job in one formula.
Why PAD, not azelaic acid
Azelaic acid needs pH 3.5–4.5 to stay soluble and doing anything. Retinol degrades fast below pH 5.0. Put both in one formula and you have a contradiction: either the azelaic acid is working or the retinol is intact, not both. PAD is the potassium salt derivative of azelaic acid's active part: the same soothing and oil-regulating behaviour, fully stable at pH 5.5–6.5. Choosing PAD over azelaic acid was not a compromise. It was the only decision that let 0.3% retinol sit in this bottle undegraded.
Why standard Vitamin C would break this formula
L-Ascorbic Acid needs pH 2.5–3.5 to do anything. At that pH two things happen: it reacts with niacinamide and can release niacin, the form that flushes skin red, and its breakdown in light doubles when niacinamide is present. You cannot have working L-Ascorbic Acid and working niacinamide in the same formula. 3-OEA is a stable ether derivative that needs no acidic environment. It penetrates at pH 5.5–6.5 and converts to vitamin C in the skin. Full vitamin C in the bottle. Full niacinamide alongside it. No reaction between them.
AH8 + retinol: two different reasons a line sits there
Expression lines have two things going on at once. The skin itself thins and loses firmness with age, and the same fold gets made in the same place thousands of times. Retinol at 0.3% is in the bottle for the first, and it is the most published cosmetic active there is for the look of lines and firmness. AH8 is in for the second, and it is the most-studied cosmetic peptide for the look of expression lines: the published 30-day study at 10% as supplied measured 30% less maximum wrinkle depth, and a later review of the same peptide reported 48.9%. Vector ONE carries AH8 at about 5% as supplied, in a bottle with six other actives. Two actives, two different reasons the line is there.
The published evidence
The data behind every dose.
Two numbers on every card: the dose the study used, and the dose in Vector ONE. Published single-ingredient studies.
Use it every night. Judge it at 120 nights, in your own mirror.
Niacinamide
- 62% more even-looking skin tone Ingredient study Niacinamide over 8 weeks
- 88% smaller-looking pores Ingredient study Niacinamide over 8 weeks
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
- 20% firmer-looking skin Ingredient study Ethyl Ascorbic Acid over 28 days
- 52% brighter-looking skin Ingredient study Ethyl Ascorbic Acid over 16 weeks
Argireline
- 30–48% look of expression lines softened Ingredient study Argireline over ~4 weeks
Glycerin
The humectant that pulls water into the skin and holds it there. It is what lets seven actives sit on the same face without stripping it. A base, not an active. So we claim nothing for it and we do not count it among the seven.
Tripeptide-1
- 23% smoother-looking skin Ingredient study Tripeptide-1 over 56 days
Tetrapeptide-7
- 45% look of deep lines softened Ingredient study Tetrapeptide-7 over 56 days
Encapsulated Retinol
- 44% fewer visible wrinkles Ingredient study Encapsulated Retinol over 12 months
- 84% look of dark spots reduced Ingredient study Encapsulated Retinol over 12 months
Durations are how long each study ran, not how long skin takes.
Published, peer-reviewed results for each active in its own study, not a trial of the finished cream. Every card prints the study's dose and ours. Peptide % is the supplied solution. Dose, duration and source on the ingredient pages.
Straight answers
Questions men actually ask before buying a serum.
Far less than raw retinol, and here is why. PAD at 8% is in the formula first, calming the skin's inflammatory response before retinol activates and buffering the flare that retinol alone triggers in week one. In clinical testing, PAD showed zero adverse events, comparable to placebo. The encapsulated retinol then releases gradually rather than flooding the skin at once. Strong actives can still tingle or flush in the first weeks as your skin adjusts. That is the formula working, and it settles.
Two differences that matter. First, dose: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% is a single-active product. Paula's Choice Niacinamide + Retinol uses 0.1% retinol, three times less than Vector ONE's 0.3%. Second, formulation synergy: most multi-ingredient serums stack actives that compete. The Vector ONE formula was built around PAD enabling retinol, and the two-peptide system (PT-1 + PT-7) working together. You'd need 5 to 7 separate products from The Ordinary to replicate the active coverage, at higher total cost, with the risk of incompatible layering.
The formula was specifically built with this in mind. PAD at 8% is one of the most soothing actives in cosmetics, and it's the first thing your skin receives in each application. Clinical studies showed PAD produced zero adverse events compared to placebo. The retinol is encapsulated, meaning time-released rather than shock-delivered. Some tingling in the first weeks is normal as strong actives settle. And whatever happens, the 120-night money-back guarantee has no conditions attached: not satisfied, for any reason, refunded in full. No return required.
Honest answer: we can't date it, and no brand can. Skin moves at its own pace, not on a calendar. What we can tell you is what the published single-ingredient studies measured and how long each one ran: the glycerin barrier study ran 30 days, the niacinamide trials ran 8 weeks, and the retinol RCT behind the 44% wrinkle figure ran a full 12 months. Those durations describe the studies, not your skin. Use it every night, take the full 120 nights, and judge it in your own mirror. The money-back guarantee has no results conditions, so the only thing on trial is the formula.
The maths
Seven actives. Under 6 kr a day.
Vector ONE
5.52 kr
per day · seven actives, every dose printed
Paula's Choice stack
~17.16 kr
per day · requires 4–5 products
The Ordinary stack
~10.44 kr
per day · 6–7 products · layering conflicts
All seven. Every dose printed. One formula.
Under 6 kr a day. 120 nights to decide, on a full money-back guarantee. Not satisfied, your money back in full: no results conditions, no questions, no return required.
Shop Vector ONE · 120-Night Guarantee →Free EU shipping · 120 day money-back · No subscription
