Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Ingredient or product comparison

Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum Versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturizer

Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum Versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturizer Detailed comparison of Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturizer EU. Thi

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Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum Versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturizer Detailed comparison of Glow Recipe Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum versus Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Replenishing Moisturizer EU. This brightening serum is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and Tranexamic Acid to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin. This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Oenothera Biennis Oil and Panthenol to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin. Water Propanediol C9-12 Alkane Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate Tranexamic Acid Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Ascorbyl Glucoside Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate Psidium Guajava Seed Oil Tocopherol Tocopheryl Acetate Sodium Hyaluronate Ferulic Acid Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Extract Pyrus Communis Fruit Extract Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract Corallina Officinalis Extract Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract Hexanoyl Dipeptide-3 Norleucine Acetate Polyglyceryl-10 Dioleate Glycerin 1,2-Hexanediol Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Caprylyl Glycol Hydroxyacetophenone Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate Coco-Caprylate/Caprate Betaine Lecithin Polyglyceryl-10 Dipalmitate Sodium Citrate Sodium Phytate Potassium Sorbate Decyl Glucoside Lauryl Glucoside Ethylhexylglycerin Citric Acid Xanthan Gum Phenoxyethanol Water, Propanediol, C9-12 Alkane, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tranexamic Acid, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Psidium Guajava Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ferulic Acid, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Extract, Pyrus Communis Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Hexanoyl Dipeptide-3 Norleucine Acetate, Polyglyceryl-10 Dioleate, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Betaine, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Dipalmitate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Phytate, Potassium Sorbate, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate Butylene Glycol Glycereth-26 Oenothera Biennis Oil Cetyl Alcohol Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate Cyclopentasiloxane Stearic Acid Glyceryl Stearate PEG-100 Stearate Cyclohexasiloxane Dimethicone Panthenol Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 Tocopheryl Linoleate Ascorbyl Palmitate Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate Sodium PCA Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Linoleic Acid Linolenic Acid Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate Saccharide Isomerate Hydroxypropyl Guar Allantoin Rosa Moschata Seed Oil Polysorbate 20 Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose Carbomer Trisodium EDTA Batyl Alcohol Sodium Hydroxide Chlorphenesin Benzoic Acid Sorbic Acid Water, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glycerin, Cycl 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. Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a water-soluble form of Vitamin C. It is used in skincare because it tends to be more formulation friendly than pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid). According to research, MAP has three major benefits: While MAP is gentler on the skin than ascorbic acid, it is thought to be less easily absorbed into the skin. In a well-known absorption study, pure vitamin C increased skin vitamin C levels when formulated correctly, but derivatives like MAP did not in that experiment. This suggests MAP may not always convert into active vitamin C in the skin. Due to MAP's stability up to a pH level of 7, it is more stable to air and sunlight exposure than ascorbic acid. The best pH range for MAP is between 5 and 6. 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 roug