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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum versus Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum .

Published on June 04, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe serums. They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin C

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging, brightening skin, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols, common allergens and fragrances

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Serum British Brand United Kingdom
Serum Irish Brand Ireland

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Serum

Serums are highly concentrated with ingredients to provide skin with benefits. They should be used after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Price

Shop

Buy 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum

Starts at $15.99
Shop

Buy Flawless Brightly Serum

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Vitamin C
Peptides

Benefits

Redness Reducing
Skin Texture
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin C
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing (3)
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots (4)
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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 Water

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Antioxidant
Community Rating: Liked

Ascorbyl Glucoside is a stable form of Vitamin C. It is created by combining glucose from starch.

When applied to skin, Ascorbyl Glucoside turns into Ascorbic Acid.

Ascorbyl Glucoside is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may damage skin cells.

It can help to reduce redness, improve skin texture, reduce the effects of aging, reduce the visibility of dark spots, and brighten skin.

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Learn more about Ascorbyl Glucoside

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.

3
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium 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 Hydroxide

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 16.

4
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

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.

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.

5
What it does: Perfuming, Preservative, Solvent
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.

Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.

Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.

Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.

Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.

Learn more about Benzyl Alcohol

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 13.

6
What it does: Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

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 Gum

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum contains this as ingredient number 8.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 14.

7
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Loved

Dehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.

Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum contains this as ingredient number 11.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 18.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

38% are loved or liked
31% have mixed ratings
31% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
44% are loved or liked
11% have mixed ratings
44% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The INKEY List 15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum 13 ingredients

15% Vitamin C and EGF Brightening Serum hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum 18 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating

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