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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner versus Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion .

Last updated on July 27, 2023. Published on February 12, 2023

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and Vitamin C

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, oils, 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.

Toner American Brand United States
General Moisturizer South Korean Brand South Korea

Toner

Toners are used as a “last-step” cleanser, a pH balancer, add moisture to the skin, or may help in reducing impurities on the skin. They have a liquid consistency and are usually used after cleansers but before treatments.

General Moisturizer

All-purpose moisturizers hydrate the top layer of skin cells.

Price

Shop

Buy Niacinamide Brightening Toner

Starts at $14.00
Shop

Buy Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion

Starts at $15.59

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

Vitamin C
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid (4)

Benefits

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

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (4)
Acne Trigger
Rosacea
Eczema
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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

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 1.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion 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

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 2.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion contains this as ingredient number 4.

3
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

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.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 3.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion contains this as ingredient number 5.

4
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Mixed

1,2-Hexanediol is a multi-tasker ingredient. It acts as a preservative to increase shelf-life and can aid other preservatives in preventing microbe growth. 1,2-Hexanediol also helps the skin retain moisture as a humectant.

In products that are water-based, this ingredient can help stabilize perfumes and fragrances. It can also help make the texture of products softer and more smooth.

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 4.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion contains this as ingredient number 22.

5
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

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.

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 10.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion contains this as ingredient number 31.

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

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.

Carbomer is commonly found in many types of cosmetics products. It is found to be safe in concentrations up to 15%. However, a high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Most products contain 1% of less of carbomer.

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 11.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion contains this as ingredient number 15.

7
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Liked

Tromethamine is an aliphatic compound. An aliphatic compound is an organic compound with open-chained carbon atoms. It is synthetically created. Tromethamine is used to balance pH and improve texture.

As an emulsifier, Tromethamine prevents oil and water ingredients from separating. This helps stabilize the product and elongate a product's shelf life. Tromethamine also makes a product thicker.

Tromethamine helps balance the pH level of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.

Oral Tromethanmine is an anti-inflammatory drug but plays the role of masking, adding fragrance, and/or balancing pH in skincare.

1,3-Propanediol, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-

Learn more about Tromethamine

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 12.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion contains this as ingredient number 13.

8
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

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner contains this as ingredient number 15.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion contains this as ingredient number 27.

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

81% are loved or liked
13% have mixed ratings
6% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
47% are loved or liked
22% have mixed ratings
31% are disliked or very disliked
0% 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

Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner 16 ingredients

2.8 /5
from 10 ratings
Broke Me Out (1) Doesn't Work (1) Irritating (1)
MichelleR's avatar

MichelleR

6 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

Vitamin C Alternative
I am allergic to everything under the sun and I don't tolerate Vitamin C very well. This product is the only Vitamin C that...

Vitamin C Alternative
I am allergic to everything under the sun and I don't tolerate Vitamin C very well. This product is the only Vitamin C that hasn't made me break out. I plan to try more with the 3-0 Ethyl Ascorbic Acid version, but this is my go to in the meantime. I definitely don't have any chemical burns or sensitive reactions to this. It's my go to daily use for the summer!

HarleyB's avatar

HarleyB

11 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Burned
This caused burning and redness immediately after applying, made my face very sensitized. Felt like I was using a strong chemical exfoliant,...

Burned
This caused burning and redness immediately after applying, made my face very sensitized. Felt like I was using a strong chemical exfoliant, not sure what ingredient caused this.

Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion 32 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 1 rating
MarchAguda's avatar

MarchAguda

1 year ago · Oily Skin
Review

Moisturizer
This product from Mary & Kay is suitable for people with a little dry skin. It is somewhat oily, which might aggravate the oil...

Moisturizer
This product from Mary & Kay is suitable for people with a little dry skin. It is somewhat oily, which might aggravate the oil production on the skin. Also, this somewhat stains the collar of your clothes. However, I suggest most use this at night as a night cream.

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Mary & May Vitamin C + Bifida Lotion.

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