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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum versus Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on May 21, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe serums. They have a total of 8 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain AHA, BHA and hyaluronic acid

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones 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 American Brand United States
Serum American Brand United States

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 T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum

Starts at $134.00
Shop

Buy Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum

Starts at $42.00

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)
BHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Skin Texture (3)
Reduces Large Pores (5)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (5)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (5)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (4)
Rosacea (5)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

AHA
BHA
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (2)
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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

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
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.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 27.

3
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.

4
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Soothing
Community Rating: Loved

Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.

Some studies have shown this ingredient can promote wound healing with higher concentrations.

Allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant but produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.

Learn more about Allantoin

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 19.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 12.

5
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.

As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 23.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 35.

6
What it does: Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 25.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 34.

7
What it does: Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 29.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 23.

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

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum contains this as ingredient number 31.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

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

33% are loved or liked
22% have mixed ratings
19% are disliked or very disliked
25% have no rating yet
47% are loved or liked
14% have mixed ratings
17% are disliked or very disliked
22% 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

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Resurfacing Night Serum 36 ingredients

1.7 /5
from 3 ratings
Irritating (2) Expensive (2) Strong Scent (1) Broke Me Out (1) Light (1) Sticky (1)
Anonymous's avatar

Anonymous

4 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

It does the job, but not only is the fragrance really irritating, and it’s super expensive. Definitely not worth the money…

KyleighWallace_646's avatar

KyleighWallace_646

9 days ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Got this as a freebie/trial with the F Balm Hydrofacial moisturizer (which is amazing) so I decided I would try it on my nose / chin and a little...

Got this as a freebie/trial with the F Balm Hydrofacial moisturizer (which is amazing) so I decided I would try it on my nose / chin and a little bit of t zone because I have lots of sebaceous filaments, blackheads and huge pores . Horrible idea for my sensitive skin. I only used it ONLY in those spots, as the ONLY exfoliating product in the routine, and ONLY 1x a week. Every time I used it even with LOADS of ultra hydrating products to counterbalance it it stung my skin so bad, and the next morning I would wake up with juicy inflamed pimples on my nose / only on spots Where I had applied it. I did notice my pores looked a little smaller maybe and sebaceous filaments were less prominent but it was NOT worth it for the inflamed acne it caused. Idk if it’s a specific ingredient or if this stuff is just incredibly harsh but if your skin is sensitive at all avoid this stuff like the plague. Even strategic use can’t be achieved.

Glow Recipe Strawberry Smooth BHA + AHA Salicylic Acid Serum 36 ingredients

3.2 /5
from 5 ratings
Expensive (1) Light Scent (1) Works Well (1)
sayumi's avatar

sayumi

10 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

not worth it
feels sticky and fragrance is super strong ur better off getting a different exfoliant and its super expensive for what it is

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