Updated on June 28, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe serums. They have a total of 2 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 common allergens, fragrances, parabens or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain silicones
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
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone 4 ingredients
COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum 34 ingredients
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone 4 ingredients
COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum 34 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
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This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Ingredients Side-by-side
Dimethicone is a silicone used for making products smooth and silky. It also has the added benefit of sealing in hydration. The amount of dimethicone found in beauty products is considered safe and non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores.
Antioxidant 6 Benefits
Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.
Peg-10 Dimethicone is silicone with conditioner and emulsifier properties. It mostly acts as an emollient in skincare and and humectant in haircare.
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.
Antioxidant 6 Benefits
Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.
Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.
Dimethicone is a silicone used for making products smooth and silky. It also has the added benefit of sealing in hydration. The amount of dimethicone found in beauty products is considered safe and non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores.
Tromethamine is an aliphatic compound. An aliphatic compound is an organic compound with open-chained carbon atoms. It is synthetically created. Tromethamine is used to balance pH and improve texture.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It can be found naturally in our skin and hair.
Squalane is an emollient that helps the skin hold onto moisture. It's an oily liquid that occurs naturally in certain types of fish and plant oils.
Caffeine is most associated with coffee, tea, and cacao. In skincare, it helps with calming inflammation and anti-aging.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.
Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.
Sodium Sulfite is a preservative. Preservatives help prevent mold and bacteria from growing in cosmetics.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
Glutathione is an antioxidant naturally found in our bodies. It is made up of three amino acids: glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid.
Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.
Acetyl Glucosamine is an antioxidant and humectant. It is a form of Vitamin C.
Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.
Dextrin is used to thicken a product and helps bind ingredients together. It is created from starch and glycogen.
Antioxidant 4 Benefits May cause irritation
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Elaeis Guineensis Oil comes from the African Palm tree. This tree is native to Western and Southwestern Africa.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Arginine is an amino acid that is important for human development. Your body uses is it to produce hair keratin and skin collagen.
6 Benefits
Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.
Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
5 Concerns
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
Helps hydrate Dry Skin 2 Concerns
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is the oil derived from the seeds of a Sunflower. Sunflower seed oil is non-fragrant. It is an emollient, meaning it helps to soften the skin.
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.
Methyl Trimethicone is a type of silicone. It is a solvent and emulsifier.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Carthamus tinctorius seed oil comes from safflower, one of humanity's oldest crops.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil comes from the Japanese Camellia plant. This plant is native to East Asia and known as "Tsubaki" in Japanese.
Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract comes from the root commonly known as carrot (the orange kind we eat!).
Beta-Carotene is a carotenoid. It is an antioxidant that converts to Vitamin A. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Water, Ascorbic Acid 23%, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Ethyl Ether, Squalane, Caffeine, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Sulfite, Disodium EDTA, Glutathione, Adenosine, Acetyl Glucosamine, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Dextrin, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Butylene Glycol, Arginine, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Methyl Trimethicone, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Beta-Carotene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dimethicone is a silicone used for making products smooth and silky. It also has the added benefit of sealing in hydration. The amount of dimethicone found in beauty products is considered safe and non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores.
Dimethicone has been found increase absorption in skin, boosting the benefits of other ingredients. While there is concern for the safety of dimethicone, the levels used in skincare are safe for use.
Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C. This form makes up the largest amount of vitamin C found naturally in our skin.
Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, it also has plenty of benefits on your skin.
Vitamin C is best used for brightening skin. It improves dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. This is because it blocks the process of skin darkening when exposed to UV.
Remember: Vitamin C should not replace sunscreen!
Your skin uses vitamin C to build collagen. Collagen is one key component in having a strong skin barrier and plump skin. Vitamin C also plays a role in regulating collagen, thus making it effective in improving wrinkles and fine lines.
Ascorbic acid shows potent antioxidant activity. As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. These antioxidants also protect skin against UV damage.
The best formulations include Vitamin E and/or ferulic acid. These two ingredients help stabilize and provide a boost in the benefits of ascorbic acid. This is because ascorbic acid becomes unstable when exposed to UV and air. In fact, you can tell your ascorbic acid has oxidized when it turns an orange-yellow color.
Ascorbic acid is generally compatible with other ingredients. However, using ascorbic acid with other active ingredients might cause irritation. Two ingredients: copper ions and benzoyl peroxide, will inactivate ascorbic acid completely.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.
Learn more about Ascorbic AcidIngredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
When to use
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone 4 ingredients
COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum 34 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone 4 ingredients
Laila
The way this mf stings is absolutely insane.
Pilling, drying, irritating, doesn’t work, and literally every bad thing you can say about a product....
The way this mf stings is absolutely insane.
Pilling, drying, irritating, doesn’t work, and literally every bad thing you can say about a product.
0/10
JustDaniel_50
Honestly want to give it more of a 3.5, but rounded up to be generous. Have seen good results using it so far, mainly with skin brightening, but...
Honestly want to give it more of a 3.5, but rounded up to be generous. Have seen good results using it so far, mainly with skin brightening, but dislike the fact that it's basically up to a coin toss whether or not it decides to properly absorb in the skin or pills/dries/sits on top of the skin.
COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum 34 ingredients
ChienYun_CY
Cured my acne scars
I had mix feelings when I first bought this as I read that the smell can be off-putting. But I am glad I bought it. My acne...
Cured my acne scars
I had mix feelings when I first bought this as I read that the smell can be off-putting. But I am glad I bought it. My acne scars faded a lot more after 3 days of using it and saw great results in one week. It also didn't break me out despite containing alcohols and oils. It does sting a little on the first application but doesn't irritate my skin. The smell can be quite strong when you first spread it on, but it slowly goes away after awhile.
Laila
I didn't like the consistency of this serum at all.
It felt like I was putting oil to my face, but since I always use the whole product to see...
I didn't like the consistency of this serum at all.
It felt like I was putting oil to my face, but since I always use the whole product to see results this did nothing to me other than feeling uncomfortable.
