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Updated on September 19, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe toners. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid and niacinamide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner
Q + A Niacinamide Daily Toner

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Benefits

Notable Ingredients

Benefits

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Niacinamide Brightening Toner
Water Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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.

Glycerin Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
0 / 0
2 Benefits

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Niacinamide Smoothing
Niacinamide  •  6 Benefits

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

1,2-Hexanediol Skin Conditioning, Solvent

1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.

Propanediol Solvent

Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.

Arbutin Antioxidant, Bleaching, Skin Conditioning
Antioxidant  •  2 Benefits

Arbutin is derived from the bearberry plant. It helps even out skin tone and reduce hyperpigmentation.

Betaine Humectant, Skin Conditioning
3 Benefits

Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Bleaching, Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Good for Dark Spots

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Skin Conditioning
Vitamin C  •  5 Benefits

You might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.

Ethylhexylglycerin Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

Carbomer Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming
1 / 0

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.

1 Com. / 0 Irr.
Disliked Full details ->
Tromethamine Buffering, Masking

Tromethamine is an aliphatic compound. An aliphatic compound is an organic compound with open-chained carbon atoms. It is synthetically created. Tromethamine is used to balance pH and improve texture.

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.

Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract Antioxidant
Antioxidant

Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract comes from the Theobroma cacoa, or Cacao tree. Cacao trees are native to tropical landscapes.

Sodium Hyaluronate Humectant, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Dextrin Absorbent

Dextrin is used to thicken a product and helps bind ingredients together. It is created from starch and glycogen.

Niacinamide Daily Toner
Water Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Skin Conditioning
2 Benefits

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.

Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides Emulsifying

This ingredient is derived from caprylic and capric acids. It is an emulsifier with emollient properties.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Glycerin Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
0 / 0
2 Benefits

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Niacinamide Smoothing
Niacinamide  •  6 Benefits

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

Sodium Hyaluronate Humectant, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Xylitol Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Xylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.

Lonicera Caprifolium Extract Astringent, Masking

This ingredient is derived from parts of the Italian honeysuckle plant. It has astringent, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.

Unknown Full details ->
Lonicera Japonica Leaf Extract Skin Conditioning

Lonicera Japonica Leaf Extract comes from the honeysuckle.

Unknown Full details ->
Betaine Humectant, Skin Conditioning
3 Benefits

Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.

Potassium Sorbate Preservative
Preservative

Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.

Disliked Full details ->
Sodium Benzoate Masking, Preservative
Preservative

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.

Disliked Full details ->
Citric Acid Buffering, Masking
AHA  •  4 Benefits  •  2 Concerns

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

Disliked Full details ->

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin
Smoothing
Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide
Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Loved

Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.

Betaine is best for improving hydration and soothing irritated skin. Studies show betaine may help with uneven skin tones.

Betaine is naturally created in the skin and body. The form found within cosmetic products can be either plant-dervied or synthetic.

Learn more about Betaine
Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Ingredient Ratings

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

Niacinamide Brightening Toner
13
2
1
liked
mixed
disliked
not rated
Niacinamide Daily Toner
7
4
2
liked
mixed
disliked
not rated

When to use

1,031 Routines
57% use in am
43% use in pm
96% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
90 Routines
51% use in am
49% use in pm
98% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner 16 ingredients

2.7 /5
from 11 ratings
Broke Me Out (2) Doesn't Work (1) Irritating (1)
MichelleR's avatar

MichelleR

7 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

Vitamin C Alternative
I am allergic to everything under the sun and I don't tolerate Vitamin C very well. This product is the only Vitamin C that...

Vitamin C Alternative
I am allergic to everything under the sun and I don't tolerate Vitamin C very well. This product is the only Vitamin C that hasn't made me break out. I plan to try more with the 3-0 Ethyl Ascorbic Acid version, but this is my go to in the meantime. I definitely don't have any chemical burns or sensitive reactions to this. It's my go to daily use for the summer!

HarleyB's avatar

HarleyB

12 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Burned
This caused burning and redness immediately after applying, made my face very sensitized. Felt like I was using a strong chemical exfoliant,...

Burned
This caused burning and redness immediately after applying, made my face very sensitized. Felt like I was using a strong chemical exfoliant, not sure what ingredient caused this.

Q + A Niacinamide Daily Toner 13 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 2 ratings
CentellaAddict's avatar

CentellaAddict

9 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

Made a slight change in my skin
Slightly improved my hyperpigmentation after using it twice a day for weeks.

sofijazz's avatar

sofijazz

9 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

Meh
It wasn't bad, but I don't think it did anything for me. I've had more luck using other niacinamide serums.