Versus

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum Versus Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum

Serum
Serum
French Brand France
American Brand United States

Updated on June 28, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe serums. They have a total of 8 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain hyaluronic acid, retinoid and Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, 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 common allergens, parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain silicones

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

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum

Water

Skin Conditioning

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon Icon

Isododecane

Emollient

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Polysilicone-11

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid Icon

Tocopheryl Acetate

Antioxidant
0 / 0 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant Icon

Squalane

Emollient
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Hypnea Musciformis Extract

Skin Protecting

Gelidiella Acerosa Extract

Skin Protecting

Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract

Skin Conditioning

Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract

Skin Conditioning

Hordeum Vulgare Extract

Emollient

Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract

Skin Conditioning

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Emollient

Caffeine

Skin Conditioning

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Humectant
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Glycyrrhetinic Acid

Skin Conditioning

Lactis Proteinum

Skin Conditioning

Isohexadecane

Emollient

Propylene Glycol Dicaprate

Emollient

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate

Skin Conditioning
Retinoid IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Acetyl Glucosamine

Skin Conditioning

Cholesterol

Emollient
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

PEG-8

Humectant

Yeast Extract

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

PEG-6

Humectant

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Solvent

Glyceryl Polymethacrylate

Polysorbate 20

Emulsifying
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sodium Phosphate

Buffering

Synthetic Fluorphlogopite

Polysorbate 80

Emulsifying
0 / 0 May worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Carbomer

Emulsion Stabilising
1 / 0

Hexylene Glycol

Emulsifying
0-2 / 0-1

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Potassium Hydroxide

Buffering

Tin Oxide

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Disodium Phosphate

Buffering

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Disodium EDTA

Sodium Citrate

Buffering

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

CI 77891

Cosmetic Colorant

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
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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
Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

Learn more about Dimethicone
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
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol
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

We don't have a description for Polysilicone-11 yet.

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.

When to use

363 Routines
6% use in am
94% use in pm
61% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
49 Routines
37% use in am
63% use in pm
84% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum 22 ingredients

3.4 /5
from 5 ratings
Expensive (2) Absorbs Well (2) Works Well (2)
Lapaki's avatar

Lapaki

2 years ago
Review

Very good and gentle retinol serum
My retinol journey began with this gentle serum with a concentration of 0.3% retinol: 0.1% pure retinol combined with 0.2% retinol palmitate that ensures gradual release of the active ingredients. It din't irritate my skin or cause any major break-outs, just some slight purging in the beginning, but that is concidered a normal reaktion that fades as soon as the Show more

carolperroud's avatar

carolperroud

2 years ago
Review

Breakout
I woke up with oily skin and bumps after using this product

Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum 53 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 1 rating
Absorbs Well (1) Expensive (1) Light (1)
carriedulan's avatar

Carrie Dulan

5 months ago
Review

I still try tretinion every now and again. I've never made it past 3 days a week before the flakes set in. So I use other serums like this one from Clinique. I really love this because I don't have to be as concserned with getting it in my hairline, in the small folds on the each side of my nostrils. I can put it on day (I always use sunscreen) and night and it does knock the edges off any Show more

#expensive
#light
#absorbs well
#no scent