Tahnyc Contour Concentrated 10 Peptide Serum Versus Tahnyc Alpha Amino 30 Pigmentation Control Fluid
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Alpha-Arbutin to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.
This brightening serum is formulated around Tetrapeptide-30 and Alpha-Arbutin to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Tetrapeptide-21
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate
Skin Conditioning
Hexapeptide-9
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-40
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Tetrapeptide-30
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, Tetrapeptide-21, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate, Hexapeptide-9, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-40, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Acetyl Hexapeptide-38, Tetrapeptide-30, Alpha-Arbutin, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone
Water
Skin ConditioningNonapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Tetrapeptide-30
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Milk Lipids
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Tremella Fuciformis Extract
Humectant
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
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
Alpha-Arbutin is a brightening active used to fade dark spots, melasma, and post-acne marks. Structurally, it is a hydroquinone with a sugar molecule attached (but is much gentler than raw hydroquinone).
It has a pretty elegant way of working; it slots into tyrosinase, or the key enzyme that your skin uses to make melanin), and competitively blocks it so your skin produces less pigment over time.
There are two forms of arbutin and alpha is the better one to reach for: it works at lower amounts, absorbs into skin more easily, and has a strong safety record.
The science backs this up too: lab and animal studies confirm it lowers melanin by blocking tyosinase and the more you use (up to a point), the more it works.
Human studies look good too.
A 2024 trial found a cream with 5% alpha-arbutin and 2% kojic acid worked about as well as a prescription melasma cream but with fewer side effects. Another study showed 2% alpha-arbutin paired with 10% Trihydroxybenzoic Acid Glucoside and sunscreen faded dark spots and melasma without causing irritation.
Concentration-wise, most serums land in the 1-2% range.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concluded that alpha-arbutin is safe in face creams up to 2% and body lotions up to 0.5%.
Overall, this is a well-studied and low-irritation brightener that's a great pick for anyone dealing with uneven skin tone. It also pairs well with vitamin C, niacinamide, and sunscreen.
Learn more about Alpha-ArbutinCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenonePropanediol 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 PropanediolSodium 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 HyaluronateSodium 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 PCATetrapeptide-30 is a synthetic peptide.
According to a manufacturer, this peptide helps with skin brightening by blocking the process of skin darkening when skin is exposed to UV.
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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
