Dr. Brandt Skincare Light Years Away Whitening Renewal Solution Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

Dr. Brandt Skincare Light Years Away Whitening Renewal Solution Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

This brightening treatment is formulated around Astaxanthin and Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract 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

Dipropylene Glycol

Pentylene Glycol

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane

Arginine

Jojoba Wax PEG-120 Esters

Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate

PPG-26-Buteth-26

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Caprylyl Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

PEG-32

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Astaxanthin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Disodium EDTA

Carbomer

Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract

Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Beta-Glucan

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

Glycine Soja Oil

Pvm/Ma Copolymer

Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Tocopherol

Alteromonas Ferment Extract

Lysolecithin

Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract

Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Cyclopentasiloxane

PEG-11 Methyl Ether Dimethicone

Sodium Polyacrylate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract

Beta-Carotene

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Halidrys Siliquosa Extract

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Arginine, Jojoba Wax PEG-120 Esters, Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-32, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Astaxanthin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Beta-Glucan, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycine Soja Oil, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Tocopherol, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Lysolecithin, Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-11 Methyl Ether Dimethicone, Sodium Polyacrylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Beta-Carotene, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Halidrys Siliquosa Extract

Ascorbic Acid

Propanediol

Ethoxydiglycol

Sodium Hydroxide

Bisabolol

Ferulic Acid

Sodium Phytate

Decylene Glycol

1,2-Hexanediol

Sphingomonas Ferment Extract

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

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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.

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.

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.

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is an emulsifier derived from castor oil.

As an emulsifying agent, it helps other ingredients like fragrances and fat-soluble vitamins dissolve cohesively.

Due to its large molecule size, it doesn't penetrate beyond the skin's surface.

This ingredient has a solid regulatory track record; the CIR Expert Panel first concluded it was safe for use in cosmetics at concentrations up to 100% in 1997. A 2012 reassessment reaffirmed that finding. Safety studies have also found no irritation or evidence of toxicity.

A 2019 study did find this ingredient to grow Malassezia, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

We don't have a description for PPG-26-Buteth-26 yet.

Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.

You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.

Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.

It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.

This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.

This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.

In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.

Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.

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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