This brightening moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide 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 ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientIsoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningAroma
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Cellulose
Absorbent
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPaeonia Lactiflora Root Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCitronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Water, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Isoamyl Laurate, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Sodium PCA, Sodium Levulinate, Aroma, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Cellulose, Sodium Anisate, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lactic Acid, Glycine Soja Sterols, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Phytate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopherol, CI 77491, Citronellol, Geraniol, Benzyl Salicylate, Eugenol
Hippophae Rhamnoides Water
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Methylpropanediol
SolventPropanediol
Solvent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arginine
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Cetearyl Olivate
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Simethicone
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Polyacrylate-13
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Polyisobutene
Hydrolyzed Sclerotium Gum
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Bixa Orellana Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid
Skin ConditioningPyridoxine
Skin ConditioningUbiquinone
Antioxidant
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicFolic Acid
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Cyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningThiamine Hcl
MaskingRiboflavin
Cosmetic ColorantLinoleic Acid
Cleansing
Beta-Carotene
Skin ConditioningRutin
Antioxidant
Hydroxycinnamic Acid
Skin ConditioningHippophae Rhamnoides Water, Glycerin, Water, Niacinamide, Methylpropanediol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycereth-26, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Arginine, Carbomer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Cetearyl Olivate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sorbitan Olivate, Simethicone, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Parfum, Polyacrylate-13, Glycine Soja Oil, Disodium EDTA, Polyisobutene, Hydrolyzed Sclerotium Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Gluconolactone, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Bixa Orellana Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Alpha-Arbutin, Panthenol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Pentylene Glycol, Ferulic Acid, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Bisabolol, Ascorbic Acid, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Pyridoxine, Ubiquinone, Biotin, Folic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Cyanocobalamin, Thiamine Hcl, Riboflavin, Linoleic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rutin, Hydroxycinnamic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ascorbyl Palmitate is a fat-soluble form of vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) made by combining it with palmitic acid.
It is able to blend easily into creams and oil-based formulas because it dissolves in oils rather than water.
As you may know, regular vitamin C is notorious for breaking down when exposed to sunlight and air. Ascorbyl Palmitate is more stable and degrades at a slower rate.
Research on whether it converts efficiently into active vitamin C once it's applied on your skin is still limited.
Some in-vitro studies suggest it may support collagen production, but it is not considered one of the stronger vitamin C derivatives, like:
Due to the palmitic acid base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Comedogenic studies have also shown this ingredient to have a rating of 2.
It's also worth keeping in mind that comedogenic and irritancy ratings are tested on individual ingredients, not finished formulas. The final product's formulation, concentration, and other ingredients all play a role in how something actually behaves on your skin.
Learn more about Ascorbyl PalmitateCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
