The Derma Co Tran-Zelaic Pigmentation Corrector Face Wash Versus The Derma Co Tran-Zelaic Pigmentation Corrector Serum
This lactic acid gel cleanser is formulated around Lactic Acid to exfoliate and smooth skin.
This brightening serum is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Niacinamide 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 ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingPropanediol
Solvent
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Polyglycerin-3
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingXylitol
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Phoenix Dactylifera Seed Extract
MoisturisingTranexamic Acid
Astringent
Azelaic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycolipids
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Benzophenone-4
UV Absorber
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSoyethyl Morpholinium Ethosulfate
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Propanediol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Niacinamide, Polyglycerin-3, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Xylitol, Glucose, Anhydroxylitol, Phoenix Dactylifera Seed Extract, Tranexamic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, Sodium Hydroxide, Saccharide Isomerate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycolipids, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Betaine, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Gluconate, Soyethyl Morpholinium Ethosulfate, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningAzelaic Acid 10%
Buffering
Propanediol
Solvent
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventTranexamic Acid 3%
Astringent
Betaine
Humectant
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
4-Butylresorcinol
Antioxidant
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Water, Azelaic Acid 10%, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tranexamic Acid 3%, Betaine, Alpha-Arbutin, Panthenol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, 4-Butylresorcinol, Ferulic Acid, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Azelaic acid is a multitasker ingredient that helps treat acne, pigmentation, and irritation. It is a great option for sensitive skin.
What makes it special?
OTC Azelaic acid is usually available in concentrations from 10-15% and anything over requires a prescription.
Here's what each tier does best:
Unlike other acids, azelaic acid will not make your skin more photosensitive/sun sensitive.
Though this ingredient is naturally occurring in grains like wheat, rye, and barley, it is usually synthetically created for cosmetics to ensure stability and effectiveness.
Learn more about Azelaic AcidBetaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamidePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPropanediol 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 Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSodium 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 PCATranexamic Acid (TXA) is a synthetic lysine derivative that is becoming one of the most exciting brightening ingredients in skincare.
Originally used in medicine as an anti-hemorrhagic agent, its skin brightening potential was discovered by accident; patients taking it orally started noticing their melasma was fading.
Unlike most brighteners that target tyrosinase (the enzyme that synthesizes melanin), TXA works further upstream. It basically blocks your cells from receiving the signal to produce pigment.
This makes it one of the rare actives that works on three pathways at once:
This makes it effective for treating melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), and sun-induced dark spots.
The most effective cosmetic concentration sits between 2-5% and going higher doesn't boost results.
Side effects are generally mild; occasional irritation, flaking, or dryness have been reported at the start of use. Overall, this ingredient is pretty well tolerated, even by sensitive skin types.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it does not cause photosensitivity, so it's safe to use in the AM and PM.
Learn more about Tranexamic AcidWater. 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
