What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Propanediol
Solvent
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment
AntimicrobialGlyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Polyquaternium-10
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Glutathione
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Tocotrienols
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Propanediol, Ascorbic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment, Glyceryl Glucoside, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Panthenol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Sodium Polyacrylate, Polyquaternium-10, Adenosine, Ferulic Acid, Ectoin, Glutathione, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is one of the most popular "stable" vitamin C derivatives in skincare.
Plain ascorbic acid is fantastic but notoriously fragile; it browns, oxidizes, and loses potency fast. So attaching an ethyl group to the third carbon of the molecule gives it some cool perks:
In a formula, it does the 3 classic vitamin C jobs: it acts as an antioxidant, helps brighten skin tone by inhibiting tyrosinase, and supports collagen.
The evidence is reasonably solid for a cosmetic ingredient; Liao and colleagues (2018) showed it's significantly more stable than ascorbic acid while still being effective.
A 2021 study by Zerbinati and colleagues tested a serum with 30% 3-O-ethyl-l-ascorbic acid and 1% lactic acid significantly increased collagen production, reduced UVB-induced DNA damage, and decreased melanin on a reconstructed pigmented skin model.
Typical real world usage sits around 0.5-5% (and 1-2% is common for daily serums).
Amounts up to 30% have been shown to be non-irritating on human skin samples, but two isolated cases reported allergic contact dermatitis so a patch test is sensible if you have reactive skin.
Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
