This brightening serum is formulated around Alpha-Arbutin and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Beta Vulgaris Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCamellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Triethyl Citrate, Pentylene Glycol, Panthenol, Fructooligosaccharides, Alpha-Arbutin, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingCocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Polyglyceryl-3 Laurate
EmulsifyingAlanine
Masking
Amodimethicone
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
BHT
Antioxidant
C12-13 Pareth-23
CleansingC12-13 Pareth-3
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Cocamide Mipa
Emulsifying
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Disteareth-75 Ipdi
Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glycine
Buffering
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract
Skin ConditioningIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningLaureth-23
Cleansing
Laureth-4
Emulsifying
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingPalmitamidopropyltrimonium Chloride
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
PCA
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Phenylalanine
Masking
Polyquaternium-7
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingProline
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Threonine
Trideceth-15
EmulsifyingTrideceth-3
EmulsifyingValine
MaskingLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamide Mea, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Acrylates Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-3 Laurate, Alanine, Amodimethicone, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, BHT, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Cocamide Mipa, Coco-Glucoside, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Decyl Glucoside, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Disteareth-75 Ipdi, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Parfum, Glyceryl Oleate, Glycine, Glycol Distearate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Histidine, Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract, Isoleucine, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Lauryl Glucoside, Palmitamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, PCA, Phenoxyethanol, Phenylalanine, Polyquaternium-7, Potassium Hydroxide, Proline, Serine, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Squalane, Threonine, Trideceth-15, Trideceth-3, Valine, Limonene, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
