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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum versus Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer .

Last updated on September 19, 2023. Published on August 25, 2021

Overview

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens, oils or parabens

What's Inside

They both contain silicones

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

Serum Canadian Brand Canada
Eye Moisturizer American Brand United States

Serum

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

Eye Moisturizer

Eye moisturizers help add moisture back into the skin around the eyes; these can be creams, gels, or serums.

Price

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Buy Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum

Starts at $14.98
Shop

Buy Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer

Starts at $26.49

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
Ceramides (3)
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (5)
Redness Reducing (5)
Reduces Irritation (4)
Skin Texture
Anti-Aging (4)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

Mineral UV Filter
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Peptides

Benefits

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

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (6)
Acne Trigger (2)
Rosacea
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Compared

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

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

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
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

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 6.

3
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 27.

4
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Panthenol (also referred to as pro-vitamin B5) is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin.

lt is a humectant, meaning that it helps the skin attract and retain moisture.

Another benefit is the anti-inflammatory abilities. This means that it's great for sensitive, irritation-prone skin.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

Learn more about Panthenol

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 9.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 13.

5
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is mainly used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent the separation of oils and products. Due to its composition, it can also be used to thicken a product or help create foam.

Cetearyl alcohol is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.

Studies show Cetearyl alcohol is non-toxic and non-irritating. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

This ingredient is usually derived from plant oils such as palm, vegetable, or coconut oils. There is debate on whether this ingredient will cause acne.

Due to the fatty acid base, this ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.

Learn more about Cetearyl Alcohol

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 14.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 20.

6
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.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 19.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 33.

7
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.

One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.

Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.

Learn more about Tocopheryl Acetate

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 20.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 14.

8
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 25.

9
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

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 23.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer contains this as ingredient number 18.

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

54% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
38% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
29% are loved or liked
15% have mixed ratings
53% are disliked or very disliked
3% 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

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum 26 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 4 ratings
Absorbs Well (1) Light (1) No Scent (1)
dianarvizu's avatar

dianarvizu

3 years ago · Combination Skin
Review

Did not work for me
I've been trying to find a good vitaminc c cream/serum to include in my routine and this was sadly not it.
I used for a few...

Did not work for me
I've been trying to find a good vitaminc c cream/serum to include in my routine and this was sadly not it.
I used for a few days and noticed a ton of new breakouts. This was the only new product I was using, so I stopped it and the breakouts stopped.
Product-wise, it feels nice on the skin, doesn't have a strong scent, and it absorbes really nice.

ClaireLundberg's avatar

ClaireLundberg

1 day ago · Combination Skin
Review

I like but don't love this serum. It feels nice on the skin, but I haven't noticed any big changes in the overall appearance of my skin with it....

I like but don't love this serum. It feels nice on the skin, but I haven't noticed any big changes in the overall appearance of my skin with it. I'd give it four stars but they recently changed the packaging from an easy to use metal tube to a plastic tube with a funky lid that's hard to unscrew without taking the whole thing off and exposing the product to air unnecessarily. On the hunt for a new Vitamin C serum.

Olay Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer 34 ingredients

Brightening Eye Cream for Dark Circles Facial Moisturizer hasn't been rated yet.
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