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La Clinica Vitamin C Ultra Serum Versus La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum With Melasyl+Niacinamide

Serum
Serum
Australian Brand Australia
French Brand France

Updated on November 25, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe serums. They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid and Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for brightening skin, sensitive skin, reducing pores and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils or parabens

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

About this product

About this product

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
Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum With Melasyl+Niacinamide

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
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.

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
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

When to use

4 Routines
50% use in am
50% use in pm
100% use every day
283 Routines
50% use in am
50% use in pm
90% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

La Clinica Vitamin C Ultra Serum 17 ingredients

Vitamin C Ultra Serum hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum With Melasyl+Niacinamide 32 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 4 ratings
Sticky (3) Expensive (2) Broke Me Out (2)
kaya02's avatar

kaya02

11 months ago
Review

Haven't noticed any difference in my acne scars so far as all it did was induce purging (has pro-retinol in the ingredients). Been using it for like a month and not noticing any results so far, I've noticed more results after using my Caudalie serum for a week.

#expensive
#broke me out
#sticky
isob3lla's avatar

isob3lla

5 months ago
Review

i am more than impressed. la roche-posay has truly outdone themselves with melasyl. this serum is an incredible product that quickly and efficiently does its job with minimal irritation. no complaints. i do feel as though it is important to note that when i started using this i had already been using retinol for 2+ months which may have affected my initial reaction to the pro-retinol ingredients Show more

#expensive
#hydrating
#sticky
#strong scent