This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Ferulic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.
This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Arbutin to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Sodium Phytate
ChelatingDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sphingomonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Tangerina Extract
TonicButylene Glycol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Water
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Antioxidant
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPolygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Choleth-24
EmulsifyingTromethamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
ChelatingAscorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Saccharide Hydrolysate
HumectantTocopherol
Antioxidant
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citrus Tangerina Extract, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Dipropylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycereth-26, Arbutin, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Panthenol, Choleth-24, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Adenosine, Sodium Phytate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycerin, Madecassoside, Maltodextrin, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Tocopherol, Asiaticoside, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Limonene, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Phytate is the sodium salt of Phytic acid, a compound that plants store phosphorus in. It's the plant-derived alternative to ingredients like Disodium EDTA.
In skincare, this ingredient is a chelator that grabs onto trace metal ions like iron and copper that sneak into formulas through water/raw materials.
Those metals speed up oxidation so binding them keeps oils, fragrance, and actives from going off, stops color changes, and helps the preservative system work harder.
Survey data shows usage levels range from 0.0099%-0.5% in leave-on products, 0.025%-0.3% in rinse-off, and up to 0.05% in eye-area products. Suppliers typically recommend a range between 0.05-0.5%.
Learn more about Sodium PhytateTocopherol 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
