Honest Beauty The Daily Calm Lightweight Moisturizer Versus TruSkin Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer
This calming moisturizer is formulated around Phytosterols and Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate to calm redness and hydrate skin.
This brightening moisturizer is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf and Ascorbic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Phosphate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Phytosterols, Phospholipids, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sclerotium Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Allantoin, Linoleic Acid, Jojoba Esters, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Phosphate, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethyl Sulfone
SolventCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pantothenic Acid
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Taraxacum Officinale Extract
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethyl Sulfone, Cetyl Alcohol, Ascorbic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tocopherol, Pantothenic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about Tocopherol
