This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
C9-12 Alkane
SolventMica
Cosmetic ColorantDiglycerin
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
ChelatingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Butylene Glycol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, C9-12 Alkane, Mica, Diglycerin, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Xylitylglucoside, Xylitol, Anhydroxylitol, Dimethicone, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77499
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
2,3-Butanediol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCoffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Tromethamine
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Iron Oxides
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propanediol, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, Niacinamide, 2,3-Butanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Mica, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Polyquaternium-51, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, Iron Oxides, CI 77891
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
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate SE is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of Glyceryl Stearate. It comes with a small amount of soap (usually potassium or sodium stearate) that gives it the "SE" part.
That soap lets it pull oil and water together on its own which is why it shows up as an emulsifier, thickener, and emollient.
Industry survey data shows this ingredient is used around 1-5% but Glyceryl Stearate goes as high at 17% in a leave-on deodorant.
Safety-wise, it's pretty boring: it's been deemed safe for topical use in 1982 and again most recently in 2021 by the CIR. Human repeat insult patch tests come back non-irritating, non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
This ingredient does carry a comedogenic rating of 3 from the old rabbit-ear assay. Just remember testing finished products in humans showed that formulas built with "comedogenic" ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic themselves. It's worth patch testing if you're breakout prone, and always listen to your skin.
The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize the stearic acid in this ingredient, so it may not be fungal acne safe.
Allergy is rare: a 310-patient patch test study of common emulsifiers found this ingredient was not a meaningful reactor. Isolated case reports do exist so a true contact allergy is possible but uncommon.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
