Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum versus SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on December 29, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe serums. They have a total of 8 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, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive 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 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum

Starts at $13.29

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

Niacinamide
Ceramides
Hyaluronic Acid (4)

Benefits

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

Concerns

Irritating
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

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.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

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.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
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

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 13.

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.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 9.

4
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.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.

5
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.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

6
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Arginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.

As a cosmetic ingredient, Arginine has antioxidant properties and can also help repair damaged skin. This ingredient is derived either synthetically or from animals.

Arginine isn't fungal acne safe when used in the presence of other lipids (fats, fatty acids, oils, esters, etc). Oils and fats occur naturally within the skin, so take caution when using Arginine if you're prone to fungal acne.

Learn more about Arginine

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum contains this as ingredient number 24.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 16.

7
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.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

8
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.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum contains this as ingredient number 20.

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
50% are loved or liked
22% have mixed ratings
11% are disliked or very disliked
17% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Loading routine usage...
Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum 34 ingredients

3.3 /5
from 7 ratings
Strong Scent (2) Doesn't Work (1) Expensive (1) Absorbs Well (1) Sticky (1) Works Well (1)
laila.21's avatar

laila.21

4 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

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...

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.

ChienYun_CY's avatar

ChienYun_CY

10 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

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...

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.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum 36 ingredients

4.2 /5
from 6 ratings
Light (2) Hydrating (2) Absorbs Well (2) Works Well (1) No Scent (1) Great Value (1)
faulmag's avatar

faulmag

3 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

I really wanted to use this, but sadly it was quite irritating for my skin and just made it redder (I believe I am allergic to centella). However,...

I really wanted to use this, but sadly it was quite irritating for my skin and just made it redder (I believe I am allergic to centella). However, I gave it to my boyfriend likes it, it helps with redness a lot. It is nicely hydrating, and it does have an interesting moderately-strong floral scent, which I was not expecting. It also has a nice texture and spreads very smoothly. I can't really speak for it's long-term effects on the skin.

AJ_'s avatar

AJ_

3 months ago · Oily Skin
Review

Absorbed into skin well, but didn't notice much difference when using it, I think it made my skin worse on some days

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 37 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum.

See 37 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Blue Serum.

See 50 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...