Skin science article
Vitamins and Sea beauty Dead Sea Minerals & Vitamin C Complex Toning Skin Serum Versus Bliss Bright Idea Serum
Vitamins and Sea beauty Dead Sea Minerals & Vitamin C Complex Toning Skin Serum Versus Bliss Bright Idea Serum This brightening serum is formulated around Retinyl Palmitate and Niacinamide to brighten dull-looking skin. This brightening serum is formulated aro
Vitamins and Sea beauty Dead Sea Minerals & Vitamin C Complex Toning Skin Serum Versus Bliss Bright Idea Serum
This brightening serum is formulated around Retinyl Palmitate and Niacinamide to brighten dull-looking skin.
This brightening serum is formulated around 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Propanediol
Glycereth-26
Polysorbate 20
Glycerin
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Aminomethyl Propanol
Parfum
Tocopheryl Acetate
Retinyl Palmitate
Niacinamide
Panthenol
Soil Minerals
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Persea Gratissima Oil
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Phenoxyethanol
Dehydroacetic Acid
Benzyl Alcohol
Hc Yellow No. 15
Water, Propanediol, Glycereth-26, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Aminomethyl Propanol, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Soil Minerals, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Hc Yellow No. 15
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Sodium Hyaluronate
Tocopherol
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Japonica Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate
Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil
Glucose
Bisabolol
Squalane
Hydrogenated Farnesene
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
C14-22 Alcohols
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Sodium Citrate
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
Xanthan Gum
Citric Acid
Dimethyl Isosorbide
Ethoxydiglycol
Glyceryl Stearate
Hydroxyacetophenone
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Caprylyl Glycol
Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Acacia Senegal Gum
Lecithin
Sclerotium Gum
Pullulan
Hexylene Glycol
Limonene
Water, Glycerin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Propanediol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Japonica Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Glucose, Bisabolol, Squalane, Hydrogenated Farnesene, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, C14-22 Alcohols, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Sodium Citrate, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ethoxydiglycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acacia Senegal Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Limonene
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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.
Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
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.
Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
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!