NourishMax Triple Vitamin C Serum Versus Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum
Updated on March 12, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe serums. They have a total of 13 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain hyaluronic acid, peptides, Vitamin C and Vitamin E
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, reducing pores and better texture
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain oils
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
NourishMax Triple Vitamin C Serum 34 ingredients
Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum 47 ingredients
About this product
About this product
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
NourishMax Triple Vitamin C Serum 34 ingredients
Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum 47 ingredients
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 WaterYou might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.
Like other types of vitamin C, this ingredient has many benefits including reducing wrinkles, skin soothing, dark spot fading, and fighting against free radicals.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid interferes with the process of skin darkening, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation. It also encourages the skin to produce more collagen.
Once applied, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is converted to Vitamin C deeper in the skin's layers. This process is slow but makes this ingredient more tolerable for skin.
The optimum pH range for this ingredient is 4 - 5.5
Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic AcidSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate is a form of Vitamin C. It is the salt of ascorbic acid.
This ingredient is more gentle than ascorbic acid. It is also more stable when exposed to light and oxygen.
Vitamin C helps reduce redness, improve skin texture, reduce the effects of aging, reduce the visibility of dark spots, and brighten skin.
Your skin uses Vitamin C to produce collagen and collagen production plays a role in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. As an antioxidant, this ingredient also helps reduce the signs of aging such as fine-lines and wrinkles.
VItamin C helps brighten skin by blocking the process of skin darkening.
In a 2011 study, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate was found to have antibacterial properties. This may help treat acne.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Learn more about Sodium Ascorbyl PhosphateGlycerin 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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.ย
Itโs often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THD) is a stable and oil-soluble form of Vitamin C.
THD is special in that it has the ability to travel deeper into skin than traditional ascorbic acid while maintaining the same skin benefits (double win!).
Because itโs oil-soluble, THD dives deep into your skinโs fatty layers (think ceramides and cholesterol) to fight off the kind of free radicals that mess with your skin barrier. This makes it a great pair with water-based vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that mainly works on the surface.
Even at just 0.1%, THD is already showing great antioxidant activity. When used up to 2%, it helps keep your skin happy and calm, especially when itโs stressed from pollution or sun.
Want to fade dark spots or tackle hyperpigmentation? Youโll want 5% or more. Pairing it with brightening buddies like niacinamide or licorice root gives even better results. One study even used 30% THD with other brighteners and saw real results on stubborn discoloration, even in melasma-prone skin.
A note on THD: Itโs has a slightly silky, oily texture and usually shows up colorless or pale yellow (though the exact shade can vary by supplier).
While you can sneak it into water-based formulas, it really shines when paired with silicones or oils, which help your skin soak it up better.
THD is pretty stable, but itโs still vulnerable to degradation like ascorbic acid. Too much light or heat (above 113ยฐF / 45ยฐC) can break it down over time. Go for dark and opaque packaging that keeps it safe and shady!
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Learn more about Tetrahexyldecyl AscorbateWe don't have a description for Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract yet.
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 HyaluronateXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan GumTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateCaprylyl 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 GlycolEthylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.
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.
Ingredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these products.
When to use
NourishMax Triple Vitamin C Serum 34 ingredients
Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum 47 ingredients

Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
NourishMax Triple Vitamin C Serum 34 ingredients
Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum 47 ingredients
โ.เณเฟ*:๏ฝฅ ๐ค
๐ฅฅ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฉ๐: ๐๐ซ๐ฒ/๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐, ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐.
๐ชด ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ:
ยทห เผโยท ออออ๊ฐโณ ๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง. ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐, ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ค๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ. ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .
๐ต ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ:
โฐโโค ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ "๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ญ" (๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ณ๐๐) ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ Show more
Full of amazing ingredients; has totally reduced the need for me to cocktail and upset my ph balance.