Acure Brightening Vitamin C & Ferulic Acid Oil Free Serum For Face Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

Acure Brightening Vitamin C & Ferulic Acid Oil Free Serum For Face Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

This brightening serum is formulated around Ferulic Acid and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.

This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Ferulic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Sodium Carboxymethyl Starch

Phenylpropanol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Acacia Senegal Gum

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Ferulic Acid

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Sodium Hydroxide

Glucose

Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Carica Papaya Fruit Extract

Water, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Carboxymethyl Starch, Phenylpropanol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ferulic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sodium Hydroxide, Glucose, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract

Ascorbic Acid

Dipropylene Glycol

Propanediol

Ethoxydiglycol

PPG-26-Buteth-26

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Bisabolol

Sodium Phytate

Decylene Glycol

Tocopherol

1,2-Hexanediol

Sphingomonas Ferment Extract

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Ascorbic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Sodium Hydroxide, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Bisabolol, Ferulic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Decylene Glycol, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Phenoxyethanol

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Ferulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant that can be naturally found in the cell walls of grains like rice, oats, and corn. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and has the ability to boost the performance of other antioxidants as well.

A well-known study found that adding Ferulic Acid to a solution of Vitamins C and E doubled the photoprotection of skin. This is why you'll often see it paired with Vitamin C or Vitamin E serums rather than sold on its own.

A 2025 review of 18 human studies found that using Ferulic Acid (0.5-1%) daily for one to three months showed improvements in:

As far as allergies go, Ferulic acid is generally well-tolerated but can cause an allergic reaction in very rare cases. It's also worth noting that Ferulic acid is often extracted from plant sources like rice bran or wheat bran, so be sure to path test if you have known grain allergies.

Outside of skincare, researchers are also looking into Ferulic Acid for its potential benefits in areas like diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart health.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

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

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.

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. Remember to stay hydrated!

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