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First Aid Beauty Dark Spot Serum With Niacinamide Versus Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum

First Aid Beauty Dark Spot Serum With Niacinamide Versus Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin. Th

By Peptide Skincare & Beauty Editorial TeamPublished

First Aid Beauty Dark Spot Serum With Niacinamide Versus Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum

This brightening serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Niacinamide

Dimethicone

Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate

Glycerin

Butylene Glycol

Panthenol

Polysorbate 20

Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Allantoin

Aminomethyl Propanol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Undecylenoyl Phenylalanine

Acrylates/Vinyl Isodecanoate Crosspolymer

Dimethiconol

Laureth-4

Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer

Phenoxyethanol

Disodium EDTA

Pvm/Ma Copolymer

Tetrasodium EDTA

Water, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Polysorbate 20, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Undecylenoyl Phenylalanine, Acrylates/Vinyl Isodecanoate Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Laureth-4, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA

Propanediol

Cetyl Tranexamate Mesylate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Ceratonia Siliqua Gum

Caprylyl Glycol

Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Cetyl Tranexamate Mesylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin

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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.

Niacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.

And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.

You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.

In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.

If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.

In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).

Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.

Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.

The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.

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.

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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. 03Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is the filtered, stabilized liquid pressed from the inner gel of the aloe vera leaf.
  4. 04In cosmetics, it shows up as either soothing active or a water-replacement base. It is roughly 98-99% water and the last 1-2% is an interesting mix of polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
  5. 05The polysaccharides do most of the work: they bind water at the skin surface for a light, non-greasy hydration boost. And one of the polysaccharides, glycomannan, is linked to fibroblast stimulation + collagen synthesis. This is also why aloe has su…
  6. 06This ingredient is also calming with anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity, making it a great pick for sensitive, irritated, or post-sun skin.
  7. 07Realistic expectations matter though; the solid evidence is mostly limited to hydration, soothing, and wound support. Deeper claims about anti-aging or sun protection are not well backed, and science reviews note it does not prevent radiation-induce…
  8. 08Because it plays well with almost everything, it's commonly used as a base alongside other actives like niacinamide or vitamin C.
  9. 09Typical usage concentrations range from 0.5% (where hydration benefits already show up) all the way to 90%+ (where it replaces water as the main base).
  10. 10The safety for this ingredient is well-establish as well. Overall, this is a great supporting ingredient for those who want a boost in hydration.
  11. 11Benzoic Acid is an organic acid that shows up in cosmetics as a preservative. It helps keep a product from spoiling by holding back the growth of yeast, mold, and some bacteria.
  12. 12This ingredient also functions as a fragrance ingredient that helps mask the unpleasant scent of other ingredients.
  13. 13The way it works is worth understanding; benzoic acid works when the formula is acidic. It is able to sneak into a microbe's cell and mess up how it functions to stop it from growing in an acidic product.
  14. 14However, the acid switches to an inactive form and stops working if a product isn't acidic enough (above ~5 pH). This is why you'll often see it in low pH products or teamed up with other preservatives to cover the gap.
  15. 15Safety wise, it's one of the better studied preservatives out there.
  16. 16The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%.
  17. 17A large international review found this ingredient had no effects on the human body and had low irritation potential.
  18. 18Just so you know, real world use is usually much lower than the 5% ceiling (usually 1% of less).
  19. 19The EU caps it at 2.5% in rinse-off products, 1.7% in oral care, and 0.5% in leave-on products.
  20. 20One thing worth mentioning (it's nothing to worry about): some people get a little stinging or flushing where they apply it. This isn't a true allergy; it's a temporary and harmless reaction. This is the same kind of mild tingle you might notice fro…
Source · skinsort.com ⟶
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