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Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin This brightening serum is formulated around Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Ascorbic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots. This brightening ser

Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum Versus Beauty of Joseon Glow Deep Serum: Rice + Arbutin

This brightening serum is formulated around Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Ascorbic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.

This brightening serum is formulated around Alpha-Arbutin and 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

Glycerin

Propanediol

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Ascorbic Acid

Glutathione

Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract

Carica Papaya Fruit Extract

Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract

Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract

Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract

Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Sodium Hyaluronate

Carbomer

Tocopheryl Acetate

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Citric Acid

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Sodium Hydroxide

Beta-Glucan

Potassium Sorbate

Hexylene Glycol

Sorbitol

Xanthan Gum

Algin

Benzoic Acid

Sorbic Acid

1,2-Hexanediol

Sodium Benzoate

Disodium Phosphate

Gold

Polysorbate 60

Sodium Phosphate

Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Glutathione, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract, Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hydroxide, Beta-Glucan, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Xanthan Gum, Algin, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium Phosphate, Gold, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phosphate

Oryza Sativa Bran Water 68.6%

Butylene Glycol

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

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

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

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.

Hydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.

This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.

This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.

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
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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. 09Alpha-Arbutin is a brightening active used to fade dark spots, melasma, and post-acne marks. Structurally, it is a hydroquinone with a sugar molecule attached (but is much gentler than raw hydroquinone).
  10. 10It has a pretty elegant way of working; it slots into tyrosinase, or the key enzyme that your skin uses to make melanin), and competitively blocks it so your skin produces less pigment over time.
  11. 11There are two forms of arbutin and alpha is the better one to reach for: it works at lower amounts, absorbs into skin more easily, and has a strong safety record.
  12. 12The science backs this up too: lab and animal studies confirm it lowers melanin by blocking tyosinase and the more you use (up to a point), the more it works.
  13. 13Human studies look good too.
  14. 14A 2024 trial found a cream with 5% alpha-arbutin and 2% kojic acid worked about as well as a prescription melasma cream but with fewer side effects. Another study showed 2% alpha-arbutin paired with 10% Trihydroxybenzoic Acid Glucoside and sunscreen…
  15. 15Concentration-wise, most serums land in the 1-2% range.
  16. 16The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concluded that alpha-arbutin is safe in face creams up to 2% and body lotions up to 0.5%.
  17. 17Overall, this is a well-studied and low-irritation brightener that's a great pick for anyone dealing with uneven skin tone. It also pairs well with vitamin C, niacinamide, and sunscreen.
  18. 18Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
  19. 19It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
  20. 20Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
Source · skinsort.com
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