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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Niacinamide Serum versus Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 5.0% Niacinamide Serum .

Published on May 06, 2023

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 niacinamide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens, oils, parabens 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.

Serum French Brand France
Serum American Brand United States

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy 10% Pure Niacinamide Serum

Starts at $39.99
Shop

Buy Ultra Pure High-Potency 5.0% Niacinamide Serum

Starts at $35.00

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 E
Exfoliators
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

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

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (3)

Notable Ingredients

Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)
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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

La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 5.0% Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
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

La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 5.0% Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
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

La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 5.0% Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

4
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

La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 5.0% Niacinamide Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

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

24% are loved or liked
3% have mixed ratings
59% are disliked or very disliked
14% have no rating yet
80% are loved or liked
10% have mixed ratings
10% 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

La Roche-Posay 10% Pure Niacinamide Serum 29 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 3 ratings
Broke Me Out (1) Doesn't Work (1)
ewhw41's avatar

ewhw41

9 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

Always settles my skin down

AnastasiaW's avatar

AnastasiaW

5 months ago · Skin
Review

I applied a small amount to a dark spot. The next day I woke up with an inflamed cystic acne that just appeared out of nowhere. Looking at the...

I applied a small amount to a dark spot. The next day I woke up with an inflamed cystic acne that just appeared out of nowhere. Looking at the ingredients now I am not surprised. Very disappointing, why do they make formulas like this???

Kiehl's Ultra Pure High-Potency 5.0% Niacinamide Serum 10 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating

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