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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum versus L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum .

Published on December 14, 2022

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain BHA, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any oils, parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols 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 French Brand France
Serum French Brand France

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 Light Complete Vitamin C Serum

Shop

Buy Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum

Starts at $19.98

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

BHA
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Concerns

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

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Exfoliators
Hyaluronic Acid
Peptides

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing
Skin Texture
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (4)

Concerns

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

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure 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

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.

3
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.

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

4
What it does: Masking, Perfuming
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 29.

5
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

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 16.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 28.

6
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

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 18.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 11.

7
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

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 10.

8
What it does: Emulsion Stabilising
Community Rating: Liked

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate is a polymer made from ammonium salts. It helps add stability and texture to a product.

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate is stable over a wide pH range. Due to its ability to absorb water, it can help thicken the texture of a product.

As an emulsion stabilizer, this ingredient is able to stabilize and mix the other ingredients. This creates a consistent texture.

Learn more about Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 22.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 14.

9
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

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 30.

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum contains this as ingredient number 24.

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

40% are loved or liked
6% have mixed ratings
46% are disliked or very disliked
9% have no rating yet
41% are loved or liked
10% have mixed ratings
41% are disliked or very disliked
7% 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

Garnier Light Complete Vitamin C Serum 35 ingredients

2.5 /5
from 4 reviews
horaceon's Avatar'
Jan 2, 2024

broke out my oily acne-prone face. the cream version is better when getting rid of dark spots; i suggest never to use vit c with fresh acne.

broke out my oily acne-prone face. the cream version is better when getting rid of dark spots; i suggest never to use vit c with fresh acne.

Hydrating
Broke Me Out
Heavy
Isya's Avatar'
Jan 2, 2024

[Oily skin] This product breaks me out so bad even though I do not have acne-prone skin. It only takes around a few days for me to stop using it.

[Oily skin] This product breaks me out so bad even though I do not have acne-prone skin. It only takes around a few days for me to stop using it.

Broke Me Out
Doesn't Work
yukeola's Avatar'
Jan 14, 2024

i have found it’s rlly cleared my skin

i have found it’s rlly cleared my skin

Hydrating
Light
Light Scent
Works Well

L'Oreal Revitalift Clinical 12% Pure Vitamin C Serum 29 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 review
GloriaMariel_130's Avatar'
Nov 3, 2023

It brightens my skin and leaves it soft

It brightens my skin and leaves it soft

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