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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Alpha-H Liquid Gold with 5% Glycolic Acid versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on March 01, 2023

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain AHA

Suited For

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

Free From

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

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols

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

Exfoliator Australian Brand Australia
Serum French Brand France

Exfoliator

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

Serum

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

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

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

AHA (2)
BHA
Niacinamide

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying (3)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (5)
Eczema (3)
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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

Alpha-H Liquid Gold with 5% Glycolic Acid contains this as ingredient number 1.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Antimicrobial, Astringent, Masking, Solvent
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol and other additives. It has a low molecular weight and will evaporate quickly. This helps other ingredients become better absorbed and dry once applied.

Alcohol Denat. is volatile and may cause irritation. It helps draw out natural oils in skin and dry out your skin.

One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased irritation.

Alcohol is antibacterial by nature. This can help preserve products and increase their shelf life.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

Learn more about Alcohol Denat.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold with 5% Glycolic Acid contains this as ingredient number 2.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Loved

Glycolic Acid is arguably the most famous AHA with research to back up its benefits. Its main role is to peel the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Glycolic Acid has shown to boost collage production, a protein that helps skin stay firm. Overall, Glycolic Acid helps with improving uneven tone, rough patches of skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and sun damage. It also increases skin hydration by playing a role in creating molecules that create hyaluronic acid naturally.

When applying Glycolic Acid, it is normal to feel slight stinging. The pH value and concentration of glycolic acid play a role in the effectiveness of the product.

Recent studies have shown Glycolic Acid may protect the skin against UV damage. However, you should always wear SPF, especially when using exfoliants.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Glycolic Acid

Alpha-H Liquid Gold with 5% Glycolic Acid contains this as ingredient number 3.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.

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

67% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
33% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
53% are loved or liked
16% have mixed ratings
26% are disliked or very disliked
5% 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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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Alpha-H Liquid Gold with 5% Glycolic Acid 9 ingredients

Liquid Gold with 5% Glycolic Acid hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum 19 ingredients

4.3 /5
from 7 ratings
Expensive (1)
Lapaki's avatar

Lapaki

1 year ago · Dry Skin
Review

Dependable anti-blemish and anti-marks serum for sensitive skin
This is a very good and gentle exfoliating serum for sensitive skin. It helped me...

Dependable anti-blemish and anti-marks serum for sensitive skin
This is a very good and gentle exfoliating serum for sensitive skin. It helped me get rid of some hormonal acne few years ago, cleared my skin and somehow made it more resistant to acids, which I had to be very carful with before. Its also good for treating backne.

GabriellaTsoukalas's avatar

GabriellaTsoukalas

9 months ago · Oily Skin
Review

Worth the try for ACNE skin
I used it for about 2 years and I was more than satisfied. Upon returning on my Erasmus trip, it broke me out and made...

Worth the try for ACNE skin
I used it for about 2 years and I was more than satisfied. Upon returning on my Erasmus trip, it broke me out and made my skin dry. I don't know if anything happened during the trip but right now I don't use it. It's really good if you have taken acne treatment pills and you need smt to keep the acne away (from my experience at least).

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Alpha-H Liquid Gold with 5% Glycolic Acid.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 47 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to La Roche-Posay Effaclar Ultra Concentrated Serum.

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