Versus

The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum Versus Minimalist Tranexamic 03%

Facial Treatment
Serum
British Brand United Kingdom
Indian Brand India

Updated on July 14, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

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

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Astringent, Skin Conditioning

Tranexamic Acid is best used for treating hyperpigmentation, discoloration, and melasma. It can also help build a stronger skin barrier.

Once applied, Tranexamic Acid starts decreasing inflammation from UV exposure. Tranexamic Acid also prevents our skin cells from meeting the pigment production cells.

Its brightening property makes it great at reducing the appearance of acne scars and marks.

Fun fact: Tranexamic Acid is also a medication used to reduce heavy bleeding.

This acid is derived from lysine, an amino acid.

Learn more about Tranexamic Acid
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent 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.

Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of phospholipids.

This ingredient has emollient and emulsifying properties.

As an emollient, lecithen helps soften the skin and creates a barrier to keep moisture in.

As an emulsifier, it also helps prevent water and oil ingredients from separating. Lecithin can also help ingredients be better absorbed by the skin.

This is because the phospholipids in lecithin produce liposomes. Liposomes help other ingredients get through the skin barrier.

Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that feeds fungal acne.

We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.

Learn more about Lecithin
Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

When to use

105 Routines
45% use in am
55% use in pm
91% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
61 Routines
31% use in am
69% use in pm
80% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid Serum 23 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 4 ratings
Absorbs Well (1)
aleema's avatar

Aleema

3 days ago
Review

Results take a long time and does not completely take away dark spots but does help a bit. The design of the pump is very bad, although there is alot of product in the bottle it can sometimes be very hard to get out. When i first got it, it took about 15 minutes to get the pump to pump out the serum. You have to use alot of force. The actual product itself is pretty good, i only use it for the Show more

#absorbs well

Minimalist Tranexamic 03% 20 ingredients

3.3 /5
from 3 ratings
Absorbs Well (1) Broke Me Out (1) Great Value (1)
ThrowMeAway's avatar

ThrowMeAway

5 months ago
Review

I've heard such great things about tranxemic acid. I wanted to use something to help get rid of PIH. This caused a huge FA flare up. Tranxemic Acid is derived from an amino acid - Lysine.

When amino acids are in the presence of lipids (fats, fatty acids, oils, esters etc.) they can enhance the growth of malassezia. Since we naturally have fats and oils on our skin, amino acids can be Show more

#broke me out
amithamaria's avatar

Amitha Maria

4 months ago
Review

I've been using this for years- on and off. Using it as an overnight serum gives me glowy, soft skin the next day. Dark spots fade much quicker while I'm on this! I try to use it atleast 3-4x a week. Works better than most brightening serums I use, and doesn't irritate my sebderm!

#great value
#absorbs well
#no scent
#works well