Pilgrim Niacinamide & Alpha Arbutin Skin Clarifying Serum Versus Plum Goodness 5% Niacinamide Face Serum With Rice Water
This brightening serum is formulated around Allantoin and Alpha-Arbutin to fade the look of dark spots and refine the look of pores.
This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Oryza Sativa Extract to brighten dull-looking skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Allantoin
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientAlpha-Arbutin
AntioxidantBetaine
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCitric Acid
BufferingDextran
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHeptyl Glucoside
SurfactantHydroxyethyl Urea
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingOlea Europaea Leaf Extract
PerfumingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningParfum
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCalendula Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
PreservativePropanediol
SolventWater
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
HumectantSodium Benzoate
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Lactate
BufferingSodium PCA
HumectantTripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
AntioxidantTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantAllantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Alpha-Arbutin, Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Dextran, Ethylhexylglycerin, Heptyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Niacinamide, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Propanediol, Water, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Tripeptide-1, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantNiacinamide 5%
SmoothingPropanediol
SolventLysine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantArginine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingThreonine
Serine
MaskingGlutamic Acid
HumectantProline
Skin ConditioningGlycine
BufferingAlanine
MaskingValine
MaskingMethionine
Skin ConditioningIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningLeucine
Skin ConditioningTyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
MaskingCysteine
AntioxidantOryza Sativa Extract
AbsorbentPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingEthoxydiglycol
HumectantCucumis Sativus Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
HumectantDiglycerin
HumectantUrea
BufferingHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningSorbitol
HumectantPCA
HumectantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
BufferingMethyl Gluceth-20
HumectantBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCyclodextrin
AbsorbentXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Niacinamide 5%, Propanediol, Lysine, Histidine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Proline, Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Cysteine, Oryza Sativa Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Ethoxydiglycol, Cucumis Sativus Extract, Sodium PCA, Diglycerin, Urea, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Sorbitol, PCA, Allantoin, Lactic Acid, Methyl Gluceth-20, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Cyclodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Gluconate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamidePropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s 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 PropanediolThis is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.
It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.
Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.
Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.
Learn more about Sodium GluconateSodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.
Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.
As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.
There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.
Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.
It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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