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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum versus Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum .

Published on October 09, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe serums. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain AHA and Vitamin C

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain common allergens and fragrances

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

Serum American Brand United States
Serum Danish Brand Denmark

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 C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum

Starts at $62.41
Shop

Buy Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum

Starts at $68.00

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

AHA (3)
Vitamin C (3)
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (4)
Skin Texture (4)
Reduces Large Pores (3)
Anti-Aging (5)
Dark Spots (5)
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (6)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (4)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

AHA
PHA
Vitamin C (2)
Vitamin E
Hyaluronic Acid (2)

Benefits

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

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (3)
Rosacea
Eczema
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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

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum 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

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.

3
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

You might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.

Like other types of vitamin C, this ingredient has many benefits including reducing wrinkles, skin soothing, dark spot fading, and fighting against free radicals.

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid interferes with the process of skin darkening, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation. It also encourages the skin to produce more collagen.

Once applied, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is converted to Vitamin C deeper in the skin's layers. This process is slow but makes this ingredient more tolerable for skin.

The optimum pH range for this ingredient is 4 - 5.5

Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

4
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

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 10.

Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 36.

5
What it does:
Community Rating: Liked

Phytic Acid is a gentle AHA and antioxidant. The chemical makeup makes it classified as an AHA, such as lactic acid.

AHAs are chemical exfoliants that help remove dead skin cells. Phytic Acid has a slight exfoliating effect. Phytic Acid has been shown to help calm irritation. In some cases, it is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water, helping to stabilize the ingredients in a product.

As an antioxidant, phytic acid may help with the signs of aging. Antioxidants help neutralize free-radical molecules. These molecules may damage your skin cells.

An interesting fact about phytic acid is that it is considered an antinutrient. People do not have the enzyme needed to properly breakdown and digest phytic acid. When ingested, phytic acid binds to minerals and prevents them from being absorbed.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Phytic Acid

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 24.

Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 23.

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.

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 36.

Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

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

42% are loved or liked
11% have mixed ratings
32% are disliked or very disliked
16% have no rating yet
47% are loved or liked
7% have mixed ratings
33% 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

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum 38 ingredients

C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum 45 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 1 rating
Expensive (1) Hydrating (1) Light (1) Pilling (1) Sticky (1) Strong Scent (1)
sarape's avatar

sarape

2 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

I really like the formula. I was a little bit skeptical at first that it might broke me out because it has some oils, but after some purging during...

I really like the formula. I was a little bit skeptical at first that it might broke me out because it has some oils, but after some purging during the first week, my acne-prone skin tolerated it really well, and on the long run it helped me out fading some dark spots. However, you have to be very careful when applying, leaving enough time between products because it might pill a little. I think it has some silicones in the formula because you never feel like it's fully absorbed, it feels more like a film on top of your skin. But I like it anyway, because it smoothens out a lot of imperfections, even working as a primer, because it's also a bit sticky at first.

What I don't like is definitely the price. Is really a lot of money for a product that has a normal performance with some flaws. Plus, there's something scammy about it, because the airless packaging makes it look twice as big as any other serum when it's on the shelf, but if you check the label, it contains just the same amount as any other similar product: 30ml. I really like the airless idea for a Vitamin-C product that can easily get oxidized, but I don't think it's necessary to make it that big. It seems that they're trying to justify the price by making you think there's a bigger amount when it's not.

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 25 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C+ Collagen Brighten & Firm Vitamin C Serum.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 1 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Olehenriksen Banana Bright™ Vitamin C Serum.

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