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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Aiken Vita-C Brightening Exfoliating Water versus Aiken BHA PHA Pore Refining Facial Cleanser .

Last updated on November 01, 2023. Published on December 31, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin and brightening skin

Free From

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

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

Exfoliator Malaysian Brand Malaysia
Face Cleanser Malaysian Brand Malaysia

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.

Face Cleanser

Face cleansers are used to remove makeup, dead skin cells, pollutants, oil, dirt, and/or clean out pores on the skin. Face cleansers may specialize in having one function (exa. just removing makeup) or may have multiple functions (exa. Removing makeup and cleaning pores).

Price

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

AHA (2)
BHA
Vitamin C
Niacinamide
Ceramides

Benefits

Hydrating (3)
Good For Oily Skin (3)
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (3)
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (6)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (2)

Benefits

Hydrating
Brightening

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger (2)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

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

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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

Aiken Vita-C Brightening Exfoliating Water contains this as ingredient number 1.

Aiken BHA PHA Pore Refining Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

Aiken Vita-C Brightening Exfoliating Water contains this as ingredient number 3.

Aiken BHA PHA Pore Refining Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 9.

3
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: 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

Aiken Vita-C Brightening Exfoliating Water contains this as ingredient number 4.

Aiken BHA PHA Pore Refining Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 7.

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

48% are loved or liked
12% have mixed ratings
24% are disliked or very disliked
16% have no rating yet
22% are loved or liked
11% have mixed ratings
67% 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

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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 15 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Aiken Vita-C Brightening Exfoliating Water.

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