Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Cream Versus Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Brightening Serum

Advanced Clinicals Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Cream Versus Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Brightening Serum

This brightening body lotion is formulated around Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Lactic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cetearyl Alcohol

Paraffinum Liquidum

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Cocos Nucifera Oil

Isopropyl Myristate

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Ceteareth-20

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Disodium EDTA

Ascorbic Acid

Ferulic Acid

Parfum

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Sodium Polyacrylate

Ethylhexyl Stearate

Trideceth-6

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hexylene Glycol

Sodium Hydroxide

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Ceteareth-20, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Disodium EDTA, Ascorbic Acid, Ferulic Acid, Parfum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Trideceth-6, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide

Dimethicone

Niacinamide

Lactic Acid

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Panthenol

Trehalose

PEG-11 Methyl Ether Dimethicone

Sodium Lactate

Sodium Benzoate

Hydroxylauric Acid

Avena Sativa Peptide

Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Lactic Acid, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Panthenol, Trehalose, PEG-11 Methyl Ether Dimethicone, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Hydroxylauric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Avena Sativa Peptide

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C and is the biologically active form used directly by skin.

Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, but it also has plenty of benefits for your skin. It is best supported by academic literature for:

Topical vitamin C has been shown to help neutralize oxidative stress from UV and pollution, helping to improve photoaging and hyperpigmentation when used consistently.

One clinical study found that using 5% topical vitamin C for six months improved signs of photodamaged skin, both on the surface and in the deeper structural layers of the skin.

While vitamin C doesn’t replace sunscreen, studies show it can boost photoprotection when combined with Vitamin E and ferulic acid. These two ingredients help improve stability and protective effects.

The big downside of this ingredient is formulation difficulty. Vitamin C is prone to oxidation and doesn't penetrate the skin unless formulated correctly. Research found that vitamin C absorbs into the skin best at a low pH (< 3.5) with about 20% being the upper limit for effective absorption.

Skin levels can saturate after repeated application; this means your skin won’t keep absorbing more once it’s full of vitamin C. This is why more isn’t always better with vitamin C and why very high concentrations don’t necessarily give extra benefits.

Ascorbic acid generally works well with many skincare ingredients but can be irritating when combined with other active ingredients. Strong oxidizing acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide can reduce the effectiveness of vitamin C if they are used at the same time; they are often recommended for use at different times of day.

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.

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.

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

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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