Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% versus Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum .
Published on November 03, 2021
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe serums. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin E
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, scar healing, dark spots and better texture
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, 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 need an update? Let us know.
Ingredient Info
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% 20 ingredients
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum 47 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% 20 ingredients
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum 47 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% 20 ingredients
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum 47 ingredients
Water • Ascorbic Acid • Glycerin • Ferulic Acid • Tocopherol • Phloretin • Sodium Hyaluronate • Punica Granatum Seed Oil • Tocotrienols • Astaxanthin • Lycopene • Xanthophylls • Thioctic Acid • Beta-Carotene • Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Juice • Citrus Limon Juice Extract • Xanthan Gum • Phenoxyethanol • Caprylyl Glycol • Sorbic Acid
Water • Dimethyl Isosorbide • Ascorbic Acid • Laureth-23 • Glycerin • Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract • Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil • Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate • Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract • Vitis Vinifera Juice Extract • Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract • Tocopherol • Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract • Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer • Hydrolyzed Quinoa • Phytosterols • Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole • Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein • Ferulic Acid • Acetyl Glucosamine • Sodium Hyaluronate • Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane • Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane • Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane • Glycine • Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate • Sucrose • Maltodextrin • Chondrus Crispus Extract • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Isohexadecane • Phenoxyethanol • Caprylhydroxamic Acid • Caprylyl Glycol • Sorbitan Isostearate • Propanediol • Pentylene Glycol • Xanthan Gum • Butylene Glycol • Sodium Hydroxide • Chlorphenesin • Polysorbate 60 • Sodium Dehydroacetate • Potassium Sorbate • Sorbic Acid • Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 1.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.
Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.
Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.
Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin. It improves dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because it blocks the process of skin darkening when exposed to UV.
Remember: Vitamin C should not replace sunscreen!
Your skin uses vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen is one key component in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. Vitamin C also plays a role in regulating collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines.
Ascorbic acid shows potent antioxidant activity. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. These antioxidants also protect skin against UV damage.
The best formulations include Vitamin E and/or ferulic acid. These two ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in the benefits of ascorbic acid. This is because ascorbic acid becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. In fact, you can tell your ascorbic acid has oxidized when it turns an orange-yellow color.
Ascorbic acid is generally compatible with other ingredients. However, using ascorbic acid with other active ingredients might cause irritation. Two ingredients: copper ions and benzoyl peroxide, will inactivate ascorbic acid completely.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.
Learn more about Ascorbic AcidSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 2.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.
Glycerin 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 GlycerinSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 3.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.
Ferulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. Ferulic Acid can help reduce the formation of fine lines and hyperpigmentation.
When used with Vitamin C, Ferulic Acid has shown to prevent Vitamin C from breaking down. In other words, it acts as a stabilizer.
Ferulic Acid is sometimes used to preserve food. Foods containing Ferulic Acid include: oats, rice, eggplant, citrus.
In medicine, Ferulic Acid is being studied for helping with diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular diseases.
Learn more about Ferulic AcidSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 4.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 20.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 5.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 13.
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 HyaluronateSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 7.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 22.
Xanthan 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 GumSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 18.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 39.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and 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.
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 19.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 33.
Caprylyl 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 GlycolSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 20.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 35.
Sorbic Acid is a preservative. It is the most commonly used food preservative in the world.
Sorbic Acid is a natural antibiotic and highly effective at preventing the growth of fungus. It is less effective against bacteria.
Potassium Sorbate, another commonly-used preservative, is the potassium salt of Sorbic Acid.
Sorbic Acid may worsen eczema. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
Learn more about Sorbic AcidSkin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% contains this as ingredient number 21.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum contains this as ingredient number 46.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% 20 ingredients
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum 47 ingredients
Usage
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When to use
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% 20 ingredients
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum 47 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Skin Actives Scientific Vitamin C Serum 20% 20 ingredients
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum 47 ingredients
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