This brightening serum is formulated around 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Glutathione to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.
This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide 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 Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlutathione
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Superoxide Dismutase
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triethylene Glycol
Masking
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Water, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Xanthan Gum, Glutathione, Ferulic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Superoxide Dismutase, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Triethylene Glycol, Octocrylene, Homosalate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Propanediol
Solvent
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Polyacrylamide
Cysteamine Hcl
Antioxidant
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingLaureth-7
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Lavandula Hybrida Herb Oil
Perfuming
Tannic Acid
AstringentDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Water, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polyacrylamide, Cysteamine Hcl, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Laureth-7, Allantoin, Lavandula Hybrida Herb Oil, Tannic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, T-Butyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
