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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Naturium Mandelic Topical Acid 12% versus By WishTrend Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water .

Published on May 22, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain AHA and hyaluronic acid

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones 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 American Brand United States
Exfoliator South Korean Brand South Korea

Serum

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

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.

Price

Shop

Buy Mandelic Topical Acid 12%

Starts at $20.00
Shop

Buy Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water

Starts at $18.70

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

AHA
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Dark Spots
Acne Fighting
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Irritating (2)
Rosacea

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea
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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

Naturium Mandelic Topical Acid 12% contains this as ingredient number 1.

By WishTrend Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Antimicrobial
Community Rating: Liked

Mandelic Acid helps exfoliate skin. It also contains antioxidant properties.

As an AHA, Mandelic Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Mandelic Acid may be an alternative to Glycolic Acid for those with sensitive skin.

Mandelic Acid may help reduce wrinkles, acne, and hyperpigmentation.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Mandelic Acid

Naturium Mandelic Topical Acid 12% contains this as ingredient number 2.

By WishTrend Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water contains this as ingredient number 2.

3
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

Naturium Mandelic Topical Acid 12% contains this as ingredient number 10.

By WishTrend Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water contains this as ingredient number 8.

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

53% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
37% are disliked or very disliked
11% have no rating yet
50% are loved or liked
23% have mixed ratings
18% are disliked or very disliked
9% 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

Naturium Mandelic Topical Acid 12% 19 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 2 ratings
Absorbs Well (1) Great Value (1) Heavy (1) Strong Scent (1)
MichelleR's avatar

MichelleR

4 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

It smells SO bad. And not like a subtle, go away after a few minutes, smell. It's a lingering, potent, i need to write a review about it, smell....

It smells SO bad. And not like a subtle, go away after a few minutes, smell. It's a lingering, potent, i need to write a review about it, smell. Two stars because, so far it doesn't break me out and is a gentle enough exfoliator to use on days after my retinoid. The jury is still out on whether or not I can get past the smell enough to use it consistently enough to see results. More to follow.

By WishTrend Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water 22 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 5 ratings
Broke Me Out (1) No Scent (1) Works Well (1)
Butter's avatar

Butter

5 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Broke me out. It doesn't happen to me often but this product gave me terrible whiteheads. Really disappointed looked like a good AHA product, but...

Broke me out. It doesn't happen to me often but this product gave me terrible whiteheads. Really disappointed looked like a good AHA product, but nope my skin had other ideas. I'm not 100% sure which ingredient caused it but I'll probably be more wary of these ingredients from now on.

helldoll's avatar

helldoll

7 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Mixed feelings
Don't get me wrong, I really like it! It has beta-glucan, natto gum, and hylauronic acid which is hydrating enough meaning it wont...

Mixed feelings
Don't get me wrong, I really like it! It has beta-glucan, natto gum, and hylauronic acid which is hydrating enough meaning it wont peel while the AHA exfoliates. it doesn't make my skin peel like cosrx or paula's choice exfoliators but it does sting and tingle a bit. keep in mind i am a tazarotene (retinoid) user, so that may be why... but I never used them together, obviously. my skin is also quite sensitive but it does irritate my skin for a bit. mine also had a bit of granuals in it for some reason... weird but ya. also mine expired quickly, and it started smelling like rotten eggs. I did notice that this does help with skin texture, especially if you get closed comedones in specific areas of your face! honestly, it's quite mid. if you wanna try it, get the 30 ml and it will last you a while (if you use it 2-3 times a week)

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Naturium Mandelic Topical Acid 12%.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 28 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to By WishTrend Mandelic Acid 5% Skin Prep Water.

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