Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum versus Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum .
Published on March 16, 2023
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 6 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain AHA
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture
Free From
They both do not contain any parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain harsh alcohols
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Exfoliator
Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.
Serum
Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.
Price
Ingredient Info
Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum 7 ingredients
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum 31 ingredients
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Malassezia Safe
This product is free of malassezia feeding ingredients 🎉
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum 7 ingredients
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum 31 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum 7 ingredients
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum 31 ingredients
Water • Alcohol Denat. • Glycolic Acid • Butylene Glycol • Glycerin • Methyl Gluceth-20 • Tranexamic Acid • 2-Methylresorcinol • Hexapeptide-2 • Rice Amino Acids • Urea • Yeast Amino Acids • Trehalose • Inositol • Taurine • Betaine • Zinc Gluconate • Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate • Allantoin • Hydroxyethylcellulose • Sodium Metabisulfite • Sodium Sulfite • Sodium Hydroxide • Ppg-26-Buteth-26 • Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil • Polyquaternium-4 • Disodium EDTA • Limonene • Benzyl Salicylate • Linalool • Parfum
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 WaterKiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.
Glycolic Acid is arguably the most famous AHA with research to back up its benefits. Its main role is to peel the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.
Glycolic Acid has shown to boost collage production, a protein that helps skin stay firm. Overall, Glycolic Acid helps with improving uneven tone, rough patches of skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and sun damage. It also increases skin hydration by playing a role in creating molecules that create hyaluronic acid naturally.
When applying Glycolic Acid, it is normal to feel slight stinging. The pH value and concentration of glycolic acid play a role in the effectiveness of the product.
Recent studies have shown Glycolic Acid may protect the skin against UV damage. However, you should always wear SPF, especially when using exfoliants.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Glycolic AcidKiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.
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 GlycerinKiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol and other additives. It has a low molecular weight and will evaporate quickly. This helps other ingredients become better absorbed and dry once applied.
Alcohol Denat. is volatile and may cause irritation. It helps draw out natural oils in skin and dry out your skin.
One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased irritation.
Alcohol is antibacterial by nature. This can help preserve products and increase their shelf life.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideKiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum contains this as ingredient number 23.
Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
Hydroxyethylcellulose helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseKiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum contains this as ingredient number 20.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum 7 ingredients
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum 31 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum 7 ingredients
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum 31 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum 7 ingredients
Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum 31 ingredients
You wouldn't think this works for acne all that much, but it totally does! I use a daily retinol at night and use this under sunscreen in the morning and my skin is clearer than it's been since...ever. It's the Tranexamic acid! Gentle...
You wouldn't think this works for acne all that much, but it totally does! I use a daily retinol at night and use this under sunscreen in the morning and my skin is clearer than it's been since...ever. It's the Tranexamic acid! Gentle enough to be used alongside a retinol, but strong enough to brighten skin and combat acne.
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 9.8% Glycolic Acid Serum.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 10 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum.
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