Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

Eminence Organics Citrus And Kale Potent C+E Serum Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

Eminence Organics Citrus And Kale Potent C+E Serum Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster This brightening serum is formulated around Tocopherol and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles. This brightening seru

Eminence Organics Citrus And Kale Potent C+E Serum Versus Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster

This brightening serum is formulated around Tocopherol and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

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

Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Juice

Equisetum Arvense Extract

Prunus Avium Fruit Extract

Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract

Humulus Lupulus Extract

Hordeum Vulgare Seed Extract

Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract

Algae Extract

Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract

Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract

Medicago Sativa Extract

Beta Vulgaris Root Extract

Rose Extract

Fucus Vesiculosus Extract

Yucca Filamentosa Root Extract

Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract

Honey

Carica Papaya Fruit Extract

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract

Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract

Water

Mannitol

Tocopherol

Magnesium Sulfate

Niacinamide

Zinc Sulfate

Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract

Pantothenic Acid

Biotin

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Sodium Benzoate

Gluconolactone

Citrus Limon Peel Oil

Citrus Grandis Peel Oil

Ferulic Acid

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

CI 75810

Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract

Citrus Limon Fruit Extract

Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract

Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract

Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil

Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract

Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract

Cocos Nucifera Water

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Tapioca Starch

Thioctic Acid

Glycerin

Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Juice, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Prunus Avium Fruit Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Seed Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract, Algae Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Rose Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Yucca Filamentosa Root Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Honey, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Water, Mannitol, Tocopherol, Magnesium Sulfate, Niacinamide, Zinc Sulfate, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate, Gluconolactone, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Ferulic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, CI 75810, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Cocos Nucifera Water, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Tapioca Starch, Thioctic Acid, Glycerin

Ascorbic Acid

Dipropylene Glycol

Propanediol

Ethoxydiglycol

Sodium Hydroxide

PPG-26-Buteth-26

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Bisabolol

Sodium Phytate

Decylene Glycol

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

Reviews

Be the first to review

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.

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!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

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

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Side-by-side

  1. 01Water
  2. 02Butylene Glycol
  3. 03Alpha-Arbutin
  4. 04Niacinamide
  5. 05Sodium Hyaluronate
  6. 06Hydroxyacetophenone
  7. 07Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
  8. 08Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
  9. 09Glycerin
  10. 10Panthenol
  11. 11Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
  12. 12Phenoxyethanol
  13. 13Xanthan Gum
  14. 14Ethylhexylglycerin
  15. 15Sodium Phytate
  16. 16Citric Acid
  17. 17Disodium EDTA
  18. 18Betaine
  19. 19Potassium Sorbate
  20. 20Tocopherol
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Paula's Choice: PC 4 Men Shave

Paula's Choice: PC 4 Men Shave Paula's Choice: PC 4 Men Shave ingredients explained: Water (Aqua), Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, …

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →

Product

Paula's Choice Radiance Renewal Mask

Paula's Choice Radiance Renewal Mask Paula's Choice Radiance Renewal Mask ingredients explained: Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fru…

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side