Herbivore Prism 12% AHA + 3% BHA Exfoliating Glow Serum Versus Herbivore Prism AHA + BHA Exfoliating Glow Facial
Updated on March 20, 2025
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 15 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain hyaluronic acid and PHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, reducing pores, scar healing and better texture
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates
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
Herbivore Prism 12% AHA + 3% BHA Exfoliating Glow Serum 16 ingredients
Herbivore Prism AHA + BHA Exfoliating Glow Facial 18 ingredients
About this product
About this product
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Herbivore Prism 12% AHA + 3% BHA Exfoliating Glow Serum 16 ingredients
Herbivore Prism AHA + BHA Exfoliating Glow Facial 18 ingredients
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingGlycerin
Humectant
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract
AstringentSalix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract
AntiseborrhoeicGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Acer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Glycerin, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Gluconolactone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Phytate, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingVaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSalix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract
AntiseborrhoeicSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Acer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningCitronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Gluconolactone, Sodium Phytate, Acer Saccharum Extract, Citronellol, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceWater. 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 WaterRosa Damascena Flower Water comes from the Damask rose. It is a dilluted version of the Rose Essential oil.
The Damask Roses' petals have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and fragrance compounds. Though antioxidants are great for soothing skin, the fragrance compounds can irritate it.
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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Salix Nigra Bark Extract yet.
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc.
Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid.
This ingredient has antimicrobial properties and helps prevent the growth of bacteria in a product.
Leuconostoc is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Learn more about Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment FiltrateCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract is more commonly known as the bitter orange. Native to Southeast Asia, this extract is commonly found in both cosmetics and foods.
The bitter orange possesses antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
It can also be mildly exfoliating due to the citric acid, an AHA.
Citrus fruits are rich in flavonoids, alkaloids, and vitamin C.
Learn more about Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit ExtractTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract is from the Kakadu plum. The Kakadu plum is native to northern Australia. The Kakadu plum holds the record for having the highest amount of natural vitamin C.
This ingredient is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals and thus may reduce the signs of aging.
The high vitamin C content of Kakadu plum also helps lighten skin. Vitamin C has been shown to block the process of skin darkening that leads to hyperpigmentation.
Kakadu plums have been used by indigenous cultures as medicine to help treat colds and as an antiseptic.
Learn more about Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit ExtractWe don't have a description for Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract yet.
Gluconolactone is a PHA. PHAs are a great gentle alternative to traditional AHAs.
When applied, Gluconolactone has the same affect on skin as AHAs such as lactic acid. It helps dissolve the dead skin cells in the top layer of your skin. This improves texture and brightens the skin.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. They do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
Gluconolactone has some interesting properties:
In a 2004 study, Gluconolactone was found to prevent UV damage in mouse skin cells and has not been found to increase sun sensitivity. However, we still recommend wearing SPF daily.
This ingredient is is an created by reacting gluconic acid with an alcohol.
Learn more about GluconolactoneSodium 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 HyaluronateSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
This ingredient is also called sugarcane extract. It is a moisturizing humectant and has skin soothing properties.
Similar to hyaluronic acid, sugarcane can attract moisture to your skin.
Glycolic acid is a derivative of sugarcane. While glycolic acid is an AHA with exfoliating properties, sugarcane is not an AHA.
A study from 2021 found the compounds in sugarcane extract to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity. The study also suggests these compounds can inhibit skin ageing enzymes and promote collagen synthesis.
Learn more about Saccharum Officinarum ExtractCitrus Limon Fruit Extract comes from lemons. While lemon extract is exfoliating and antimicrobial, it can also cause skin sensitivity.
Lemons contains antioxidants, which may help with anti-aging. They are also rich in citric acid, an AHA.
And of course, lemons are rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps with skin-brightening and increasing collagen production.
The acidity of lemons may work as an astringent for acne.
However, lemons can also cause skin sensitivity due to its limonene content. It can also increase photosensitivity, or sensitivity to the sun.
This ingredient is also used to add a lemon scent to products.
Learn more about Citrus Limon Fruit ExtractWe don't have a description for Acer Saccharum Extract yet.
Ingredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these products.
When to use
Herbivore Prism 12% AHA + 3% BHA Exfoliating Glow Serum 16 ingredients
Herbivore Prism AHA + BHA Exfoliating Glow Facial 18 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Herbivore Prism 12% AHA + 3% BHA Exfoliating Glow Serum 16 ingredients
Herbivore Prism AHA + BHA Exfoliating Glow Facial 18 ingredients
my favorite mask!
First of all, the container is gorgeous, showing off the pretty pink shade of the gel-like mask. I love seeing it on my skincare shelf. I love that it's a strong exfoliating mask. I feel a few tingles at first application, though nothing painful. It may be too much for sensitive skin. It makes my skin feel very smooth and clean, thoroughly exfoliated.
