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AOA Skin Spot Correcting Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide

AOA Skin Spot Correcting Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide This brightening serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Saccharide Isomerate to fade the look of dark spots and hydrate skin. This acne serum is formulated aro

AOA Skin Spot Correcting Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide

This brightening serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Saccharide Isomerate to fade the look of dark spots and hydrate skin.

This acne serum is formulated around Propolis Extract and Niacinamide to clear breakouts and brighten dull-looking skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Propanediol

Glycerin

Polyquaternium-10

Sodium Hyaluronate

Propylene Glycol

Saccharide Isomerate

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract

Carica Papaya Fruit Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Citrus Limon Peel Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Rosa Damascena Flower Water

Panthenol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Polysorbate 20

Sodium Gluconate

Xanthan Gum

Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propylene Glycol, Saccharide Isomerate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Panthenol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Gluconate, Xanthan Gum

Propolis Extract

Dipropylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Niacinamide

1,2-Hexanediol

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract

Centella Asiatica Extract

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Lotus Corniculatus Seed Extract

Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil

Betaine Salicylate

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Tromethamine

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Caprylyl Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Dextrin

Pentylene Glycol

Octanediol

Tocopherol

Carbomer

Propolis Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Water, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Lotus Corniculatus Seed Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Betaine Salicylate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dextrin, Pentylene Glycol, Octanediol, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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 Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 031,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
  4. 04It is a:
  5. 05Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  6. 06Emollient, helping to soften skin
  7. 07Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  8. 08Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
  9. 093-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is one of the most popular "stable" vitamin C derivatives in skincare.
  10. 10Plain ascorbic acid is fantastic but notoriously fragile; it browns, oxidizes, and loses potency fast. So attaching an ethyl group to the third carbon of the molecule gives it some cool perks:
  11. 11In a formula, it does the 3 classic vitamin C jobs: it acts as an antioxidant, helps brighten skin tone by inhibiting tyrosinase, and supports collagen.
  12. 12The evidence is reasonably solid for a cosmetic ingredient; Liao and colleagues (2018) showed it's significantly more stable than ascorbic acid while still being effective.
  13. 13A 2021 study by Zerbinati and colleagues tested a serum with 30% 3-O-ethyl-l-ascorbic acid and 1% lactic acid significantly increased collagen production, reduced UVB-induced DNA damage, and decreased melanin on a reconstructed pigmented skin model.
  14. 14Typical real world usage sits around 0.5-5% (and 1-2% is common for daily serums).
  15. 15Amounts up to 30% have been shown to be non-irritating on human skin samples, but two isolated cases reported allergic contact dermatitis so a patch test is sensible if you have reactive skin.
  16. 16Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
  17. 17Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
  18. 18Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
  19. 19Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
  20. 20The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure …
Source · skinsort.com
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Product index

Related product references

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Comparison edit

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