Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream versus Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum .

Published on August 06, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

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

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances and silicones

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

General Moisturizer American Brand United States
Serum American Brand United States

General Moisturizer

All-purpose moisturizers hydrate the top layer of skin cells.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream

Starts at $12.95
Shop

Buy Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum

Starts at $12.95

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (4)
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (5)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (4)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Irritating

Notable Ingredients

AHA (2)
Vitamin C
Vitamin E

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (4)
Dark Spots (3)
Scar Healing (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Irritating (2)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (2)
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: 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

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream contains this as ingredient number 1.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Antimicrobial, Antioxidant
Community Rating: Loved

Ferulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. Ferulic Acid can help reduce the formation of fine lines and hyperpigmentation.

When used with Vitamin C, Ferulic Acid has shown to prevent Vitamin C from breaking down. In other words, it acts as a stabilizer.

Ferulic Acid is sometimes used to preserve food. Foods containing Ferulic Acid include: oats, rice, eggplant, citrus.

In medicine, Ferulic Acid is being studied for helping with diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular diseases.

Learn more about Ferulic Acid

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream contains this as ingredient number 10.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

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.

Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.

It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.

Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream contains this as ingredient number 16.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

4
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream contains this as ingredient number 29.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

5
What it does: Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream contains this as ingredient number 30.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum contains this as ingredient number 16.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

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

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream contains this as ingredient number 31.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum contains this as ingredient number 17.

7
What it does: Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Disliked

Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant. Glycols are a class of alcohols. Hexylene Glycol is a surfactant and emulsifier.

As a surfactant, Hexylene Glycol helps gather dirt and oil on your skin to be washed away.

As an emulsifier, Hexylene Glycol helps keep water and oil together. This prevents them from separating in a product. Hexylene Glycol also thins out the texture of a product by lessening viscosity.

Hexylene Glycol has a small molecular weight.

Learn more about Hexylene Glycol

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream contains this as ingredient number 32.

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum contains this as ingredient number 18.

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

53% are loved or liked
21% have mixed ratings
24% are disliked or very disliked
3% have no rating yet
58% are loved or liked
11% have mixed ratings
32% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Brightening Gel-Cream.

See 50 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 19 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum.

See 19 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...