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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum versus Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum .

Published on October 23, 2022

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan and reef safe serums. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain niacinamide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any oils, 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 Brand
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 Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum

Starts at $11.97
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

Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Redness Reducing
Reduces Large Pores
Dark Spots
Acne Fighting
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Rosacea
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

Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

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

2
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

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.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 4.

3
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum contains this as ingredient number 8.

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.

Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum contains this as ingredient number 11.

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

5
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.

Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum contains this as ingredient number 12.

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

6
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

Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum contains this as ingredient number 13.

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

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

43% are loved or liked
14% have mixed ratings
29% are disliked or very disliked
14% 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

Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum 14 ingredients

Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum 18 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Vitamins and Sea beauty Blue Sea Kale & Niacinamide Smoothing Facial Serum.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Dr Sam’s Flawless Brightly Serum.

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