Versus

Cos De BAHA 2% Hydroquinone + Arbutin + Niacinamide 4% Serum Versus Cos De BAHA Azelaic Acid 10% Serum with Niacinamide

Serum
Serum
Korean Brand South Korea
Korean Brand South Korea

Updated on October 10, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe serums. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid and niacinamide

Suited For

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

Free From

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

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

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.

You may know Aloe to be a good sunburn reliever and inflammation reducer. This is because it contains many components that are known to help reduce irritation and itchiness. These include vitamins, amino acids, polysaccharides, and more. The high water content of aloe also helps give a cooling effect.

Aloe contains the antioxidants Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins neutralize free radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.

The aloe plant is naturally abundant in polysaccharides, a carbohydrate made of sugar molecules. Polysaccharides help hydrate your skin by mimicking your skin's natural carbohydrates.

As it is easily absorbed by the skin, aloe is a great moisturizer. It is both a humectant and emollient. Emollients help trap moisture in your skin, keeping your skin soft. Humectants draw water from the air to your skin.

Other components of aloe include sugars such as monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, choline, many common minerals such as calcium, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.

Aloe does not protect against UV rays, despite it soothing sunburns.

There are over 420 species of aloe but Aloe Barbadensis is the most commonly used for topical products.

Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Solvent

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin. 

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol
Smoothing

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse. 

It is a:

  • Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  • Emollient, helping to soften skin
  • Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  • Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives 
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

When to use

65 Routines
18% use in am
82% use in pm
74% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
657 Routines
41% use in am
59% use in pm
84% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Cos De BAHA 2% Hydroquinone + Arbutin + Niacinamide 4% Serum 18 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 2 ratings
Great Value (1) Light Scent (1) Works Well (1)
sumayabegum's avatar

su maya

5 months ago
Review

i’ve been using this product everyday for a month and it works wonders. it has pretty much cleared almost all of my hyperpigmentation around my mouth. however my dark spots are fading much slower but still fading faster than when i’d any other dark spot correcting serum. i’m also using it on my under eyes but it seems like it is not working on that area

i would 100% recommend this product. but Show more

#great value
#light scent
#works well

Cos De BAHA Azelaic Acid 10% Serum with Niacinamide 13 ingredients

4.4 /5
from 10 ratings
Great Value (5) Absorbs Well (3) No Scent (3)
Clover's avatar

Clover

2 years ago
Review

I’m on my third bottle
Want a simple, hydrating, scentless, and affordable azelaic acid serum? Look no further! Azelaic acid is well tolerated by many and for me I’ve noticed great improvements regarding redness. There was a short period of time when I cut this out of my routine, and that’s when I noticed how much it had been doing to reduce redness in my skin. This serum also contains aloe Show more

BubbIes's avatar

BubbIes

12 months ago
Review

I was so excited to try a product with what seemed like no comedogenic ingredients, but I suspect all the extracts broke me out pretty badly. I’m talking deep, painful cysts. I think I saw a nice effect on skin brightness, but that’s the only upside unfortunately. This also left a chalky white residue at times.

#great value
#broke me out
#irritating