CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum Versus Bliss Bright Idea Vitamin C & Tri-Peptide Collagen Protecting Eye Cream

CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum Versus Bliss Bright Idea Vitamin C & Tri-Peptide Collagen Protecting Eye Cream

This brightening serum is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Ceramide NP to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.

This brightening eye moisturizer 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

Ascorbic Acid

Glycerin

Dimethicone

Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate

Alcohol Denat.

Sodium Hydroxide

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Panthenol

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Cetearyl Alcohol

Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Cholesterol

Phenoxyethanol

Tocopheryl Acetate

Disodium EDTA

Isopropyl Myristate

Caprylyl Glycol

Xanthan Gum

Phytosphingosine

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Alcohol Denat., Sodium Hydroxide, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Panthenol, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Phytosphingosine, Ethylhexylglycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Hydrogenated Farnesene

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Propanediol

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Glyceryl Stearate

Xylitylglucoside

Anhydroxylitol

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Tocopherol

Niacinamide

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Carica Papaya Fruit Extract

Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract

Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Japonica Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate

Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil/Glucose/Malt Extract/Soybean Flour/Yeast Extract Ferment Filtrate

Persea Gratissima Oil

Glycine Soja Oil

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Acacia Senegal Gum

Hydroxyacetophenone

Cetearyl Olivate

Xylitol

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate

PEG-100 Stearate

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetearyl Glucoside

Hexylene Glycol

Ethoxydiglycol

Sodium Citrate

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Sodium Metabisulfite

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Citric Acid

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Farnesene, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Niacinamide, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Japonica Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil/Glucose/Malt Extract/Soybean Flour/Yeast Extract Ferment Filtrate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Xanthan Gum, Acacia Senegal Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cetearyl Olivate, Caprylyl Glycol, Xylitol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate, PEG-100 Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid

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.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

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.

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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