This brightening serum is formulated around Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract and Alpha-Arbutin to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.
This oil-control serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Acetyl Glucosamine to balance excess oil and refine the look of pores.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-26
Humectant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantVitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Undecane
EmollientTridecane
Perfuming
Glycerin
Humectant
Diglucosyl Gallic Acid
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Citrus Grandis Fruit Water
Masking
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Kojic Dipalmitate
Emollient
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Lecithin
Emollient
Tapioca Starch
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycereth-26, Ethoxydiglycol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Undecane, Tridecane, Glycerin, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Squalane, Alpha-Arbutin, Citrus Grandis Fruit Water, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Bisabolol, Kojic Dipalmitate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Lecithin, Tapioca Starch, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Allantoin
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventPropanediol
Solvent
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantAcetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
Humectant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Zinc Glycinate
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPullulan
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Propanediol, Ethoxydiglycol, Acetyl Glucosamine, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Zinc PCA, Zinc Glycinate, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Ethylhexylglycerin
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 AllantoinEthoxydiglycol (aka Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether) is one of the cosmetic world's quiet problem solvers.
In a formula, it is a solvent that dissolves tricky ingredients that don't want to mix in and helps spread ingredients evenly across your skin without leaving a greasy or sticky feeling
This makes it great for hard-to-dissolve actives like vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, and self-tanner DHA.
It also has mild humectant and penetration enhancer abilities so it can help some actives absorb a little deeper.
The penetration boost is backed by lab research: studies using human skin samples found it improved how well an active dissolves into the upper layer of skin rather than tearing down your skin barrier. Reviews of its mechanism also describe it interacting gently with the lipids and water in your outermost layer of skin.
Just know this penetration-enhancing effect is not universal. It helps a lot in some formulas and did very little in others (so the benefit really depends on the specific product).
Safety-wise, the evidence is reassuring. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel reviewed it and concluded it's safe for use in cosmetics and recognized it as non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-comedogenic in skincare.
Typical leave-on skincare usage lands around 1-10%. The EU has sets caps of 2.6% in non-spray products, 10% in rinse-offs, 7% in oxidative hair dye, and 5% in non-oxidative hair dye.
Learn more about EthoxydiglycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Learn more about LecithinPhenoxyethanol 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 WaterXanthan 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 Gum
