Dr.G Brightening Peeling Gel February 2023 formula Versus Dr.G Brightening Peeling Gel June 2025 formula
This brightening exfoliator is formulated around Cellulose and Ascorbyl Glucoside to brighten dull-looking skin.
This brightening exfoliator is formulated around Cellulose and Ascorbic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and refine skin texture.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCellulose
Absorbent
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTrehalose
Humectant
Fomes Officinalis Extract
Skin ProtectingAlthaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPollen Extract
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables
Skin Conditioning
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningDiospyros Kaki Leaf Extract
Skin Protecting
Rhus Semialata Gall Extract
Skin ConditioningBetula Platyphylla Japonica Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningHoney Extract
Humectant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingAscorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Oleth-10
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Arginine
Masking
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingWater, Cellulose, Dipropylene Glycol, Trehalose, Fomes Officinalis Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Pollen Extract, Glycine Soja Oil Unsaponifiables, Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil Unsaponifiables, Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Rhus Semialata Gall Extract, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Bark Extract, Honey Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Oleth-10, Allantoin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Arginine, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningCellulose
Absorbent
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Arginine
Masking
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingGlycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycosphingolipids
EmollientHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningWater, Cellulose, Dipropylene Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, Panthenol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Propanediol, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycosphingolipids, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Ascorbic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerAllantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinArginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCellulose is the main component of plant cell walls. It is used as an emulsifier, absorbent, and texture enhancer.
This ingredient has many functions:
Fun fact: Cellulose is the most abundant form of organic polymer on Earth.
Learn more about CelluloseDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateWater. 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
