Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin Versus Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Serum

Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin Versus Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Serum

This brightening serum is formulated around Alpha-Arbutin and Niacinamide to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.

This hydrating serum is formulated around Squalane and Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Oryza Sativa Bran Water 68.6%

Water

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Dipropylene Glycol

Alpha-Arbutin 2%

Niacinamide

Methyl Gluceth-20

Panthenol

Polyglycerin-3

Trehalose

Glyceryl Glucoside

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Xanthan Gum

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Arginine

Disodium EDTA

Coptis Japonica Root Extract

Sorbitan Isostearate

Glucose

Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract

Glycine Soja Seed Extract

Hordeum Distichon Extract

Oryza Sativa Extract

Sesamum Indicum Seed Extract

Triticum Vulgare Seed Extract

Vigna Radiata Seed Extract

Zea Mays Kernel Extract

Oryza Sativa Bran Water 68.6%, Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Alpha-Arbutin 2%, Niacinamide, Methyl Gluceth-20, Panthenol, Polyglycerin-3, Trehalose, Glyceryl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Hordeum Distichon Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Sesamum Indicum Seed Extract, Triticum Vulgare Seed Extract, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Zea Mays Kernel Extract

Squalane

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Propanediol

Carbomer

Cetearyl Alcohol

Tromethamine

Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate

Dextrin

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Parfum

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Betaine

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Beta-Glucan

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

Xylitol

Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate

Tocopherol

Magnesium Chloride

Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate

Undaria Pinnatifida Extract

Water, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Squalane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Propanediol, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Dextrin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Betaine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Beta-Glucan, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Glucose, Tocopherol, Magnesium Chloride, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract

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.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though 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.

Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.

This ingredient helps:

Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.

As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.

Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The 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 to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

Glucose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide). In skincare, it is mostly a humectant and skin conditioning agent.

Mechanistically, it has multiple hydroxyl groups that hydrogen-bond to water. This pulls moisture into the upper layers of skin to keep the surface soft and hydrated.

It's worth knowing sugars are already a natural component of the skin's NMF (natural moisturizing factor) so it's a molecule that your stratum corneum is well-acquainted with.

Just so you know, glucose is hydrophilic (water-loving) and the stratum corneum is a strong barrier to hydrophilic compounds. This just means penetration is slow and most of the action is happening on the surface.

Gram-to-gram, glucose is not as efficient as a humectant as glycerin. This is why you'll likely see glycose paired with stronger humectants for a bigger hydration payoff.

In skincare, glucose is typically derived from corn or other starch sources.

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons