Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum versus PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum .

Last updated on March 12, 2024. Published on September 28, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe serums. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and Vitamin C

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, 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, fragrances, parabens or sulfates

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

Serum South Korean Brand South Korea
Serum South Korean Brand South Korea

Serum

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

Serum

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

Price

Shop

Buy The Vitamin C 23 Serum

Starts at $14.90
Shop

Buy Pure Vitamin C Serum

Starts at $12.59

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
ph level
4
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
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Concerns

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

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

2
What it does: Antioxidant, Buffering, Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.

Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.

Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin. It improves dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because it blocks the process of skin darkening when exposed to UV.

Remember: Vitamin C should not replace sunscreen!

Your skin uses vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen is one key component in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. Vitamin C also plays a role in regulating collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines.

Ascorbic acid shows potent antioxidant activity. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. These antioxidants also protect skin against UV damage.

The best formulations include Vitamin E and/or ferulic acid. These two ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in the benefits of ascorbic acid. This is because ascorbic acid becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. In fact, you can tell your ascorbic acid has oxidized when it turns an orange-yellow color.

Ascorbic acid is generally compatible with other ingredients. However, using ascorbic acid with other active ingredients might cause irritation. Two ingredients: copper ions and benzoyl peroxide, will inactivate ascorbic acid completely.

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.

Learn more about Ascorbic Acid

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

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

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 11.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 8.

4
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

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 13.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 14.

5
What it does:
Community Rating: Loved

Glutathione is an antioxidant naturally found in our bodies. It is also naturally occurring in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria. As an antioxidant, Glutathione helps prevent oxidative damage to parts of our cell.

While Glutathione is said to help with skin lightening, the results from research are inconclusive. Further studies are needed.

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 14.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.

Adenosine has many benefits when used. These benefits include hydrating the skin, smoothing skin, and reducing wrinkles. Once applied, adenosine increases collagen production. It also helps with improving firmness and tissue repair.

Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.

In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.

Learn more about Adenosine

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 16.

7
What it does: Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

  • It is a solvent, meaning that it helps to dissolve other ingredients. This also enhances the absorption of the product into one's skin.
  • It is a humectant, which means that it helps attract moisture into the skin.
  • It helps improve product application.

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient. It is unlikely to irritate skin, and works well with pretty much all other ingredients.

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 23.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.

8
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

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

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 25.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.

9
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.

The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.

This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.

Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.

Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.

Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.

Learn more about Pentylene Glycol

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 26.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

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

56% are loved or liked
12% have mixed ratings
26% are disliked or very disliked
6% have no rating yet
56% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
13% are disliked or very disliked
13% 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

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum 34 ingredients

3.4 /5
from 7 reviews
laila.21's Avatar'
Jan 19, 2024

I didn't like the consistency of this serum at all.
It felt like I was putting oil to my face, but since I always use the whole product to see results this did nothing to me other than feeling uncomfortable.

I didn't like the consistency of this serum at all.
It felt like I was putting oil to my face, but since I always use the whole product to see results this did nothing to me other than feeling uncomfortable.

Oily
Strong Scent
Works Well
AshN.'s Avatar'
Jan 27, 2024

(Started Dec 2023) I would say that this is a great high concentration serum that was gentle enough on my sensitive skin. Only went through a single bottle recently and plan to see if continued use will maintain/brighten my overall...

(Started Dec 2023) I would say that this is a great high concentration serum that was gentle enough on my sensitive skin. Only went through a single bottle recently and plan to see if continued use will maintain/brighten my overall complexion. My main complaint is that I found the scent of this formulation to be very strong with initial application, but it dissipates over time and another complaint is it leaves my face feeling very sticky for a serum (As it is not the last part of my routine, my moisturizing step usually resolves this).

Great Value
Absorbs Well
Sticky
Strong Scent
ChienYun_CY's Avatar'
Jul 1, 2023

Cured my acne scars
I had mix feelings when I first bought this as I read that the smell can be off-putting. But I am glad I bought it. My acne scars faded a lot more after 3 days of using it and saw great results in one week. It also...

Cured my acne scars
I had mix feelings when I first bought this as I read that the smell can be off-putting. But I am glad I bought it. My acne scars faded a lot more after 3 days of using it and saw great results in one week. It also didn't break me out despite containing alcohols and oils. It does sting a little on the first application but doesn't irritate my skin. The smell can be quite strong when you first spread it on, but it slowly goes away after awhile.

PURITO Pure Vitamin C Serum 16 ingredients

2.3 /5
from 4 reviews
Bababooey's Avatar'
Dec 24, 2023

Pretty decent affordable serum, although smells very not good.
It stings upon applying but that’s normal with vitamin c serums.

Pretty decent affordable serum, although smells very not good.
It stings upon applying but that’s normal with vitamin c serums.

Strong Scent
KristinKlaus_512's Avatar'
Feb 11, 2024

Was already oxidized before opening (sealed shut) with more than a year until expiration date.

Was already oxidized before opening (sealed shut) with more than a year until expiration date.

ShygulaKenesova_561's Avatar'
Mar 16, 2023

irritating
i have acne-prone and very oily skin.And this serum just irritated my skin very bad. I use it on my body right now.

irritating
i have acne-prone and very oily skin.And this serum just irritated my skin very bad. I use it on my body right now.

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