Versus

Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream Versus Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream

Eye Moisturizer
Eye Moisturizer
American Brand United States
American Brand United States

Updated on September 18, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe eye moisturizers. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and Vitamin E

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 harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain oils

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

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream

Water

Skin Conditioning

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Niacinamide

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconGood for Oily Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Behenyl Alcohol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon
Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream

Water

Skin Conditioning

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Propanediol

Solvent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Cetearyl Alcohol

Emollient
2 / 1 Fatty Alcohol IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glyceryl Stearate

Emollient
1 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Persea Gratissima Oil

Skin Conditioning
0-3 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

C9-12 Alkane

Solvent

Stearic Acid

Cleansing
2-3 / 0 May worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Kaolin

Abrasive
0 / 0 Exfoliant IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps fight Acne Icon

Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate

Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract

Emollient

Squalane

Emollient
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Niacinamide

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconGood for Oily Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Hexylresorcinol

Antimicrobial
Good for Dark Spots Icon

Oryza Sativa Extract

Absorbent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Tocopheryl Acetate

Antioxidant
0 / 0 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant Icon

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Coffea Arabica Fruit Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Hyaluronic Acid

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Emollient
2-3 / 0 May worsen Oily Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Retinol

Skin Conditioning
Retinoid IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Pei-10

Hydrated Silica

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Sodium Chloride

Masking
Can worsen Dry Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Fructan

Skin Conditioning

Maltodextrin

Absorbent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Spirulina Maxima Extract

Smoothing

CI 75300

Cosmetic Colorant

Potassium Chloride

May worsen Oily Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin Icon

Potassium Phosphate

Buffering

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Sodium Phosphate

Buffering

Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate

Humectant

Maltooligosyl Glucoside

Skin Conditioning

Arginine

Masking
Good for Scar Healing IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Silica Dimethyl Silylate

Emollient

Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine

Humectant

Sodium Hydroxide

Buffering

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Extract

Skin Conditioning

Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract

Masking
Fragrance IconMay cause irritation Icon

Malachite Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial

PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate

Emollient

Polyisobutene

Pvp

Emulsion Stabilising
0 / 0

C13-15 Alkane

Solvent

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Sodium Hydroxypropylsulfonate Laurylglucoside Crosspolymer

Cleansing

Parfum

Masking
Fragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Hexylene Glycol

Emulsifying
0-2 / 0-1

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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
Smoothing

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

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.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

Learn more about Niacinamide
Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Learn more about Butylene Glycol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

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
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

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
Buffering, Masking

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

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 even out skin tone.

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.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent 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.

Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

When to use

184 Routines
57% use in am
43% use in pm
97% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
71 Routines
21% use in am
79% use in pm
93% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Bright-Eye Gel Cream 48 ingredients

3.6 /5
from 7 ratings
Drying (1) Expensive (1) Heavy (1)
sayumi's avatar

sayumi

2 years ago
Review

its ok
i have been using it for awhile and i have had some SMALL changes but there is definetly cheaper , better alternatives

Daniel.Chin's avatar

Daniel Chin

1 year ago
Review

I was ready to love this product as it has all the right stuff in, and it works, but damn, it makes the skin around my eyes sore and dry. It must be too much vitamin C for the sensitive skin around my eyes.

#drying
#irritating
#works well

Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream 58 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 2 ratings
Hydrating (2) Light (2) Absorbs Well (1)
SandyD's avatar

SandyD

1 year ago
Review

This product really did amazing on my under eye - it smoothed out the fine lines I had in the corners. LOVE this and the texture. DEfinitely recommend

#expensive
#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well
verenski's avatar

verenski

8 months ago
Review

Nice eyecream but for what it does, it's too expensive

#hydrating
#light