Potential Glossier Dupes based on INCI lists
Glossier, the tech-driven brand that took the beauty industry by storm shortly after launching in 2014, offers an array of products, but all have one thing in common: a determined focus on enhancing natural beauty. “Skin first, makeup second,” is the popular slogan boasted across the company’s branding, but does Glossier’s skincare live up to the hype?
While cult-favorites have made the brand a success, Glossier has struggled in recent years to keep up with the demands of Generation Z, the rising group of beauty consumers that will determine the direction of the industry. For Gen Zers (or any beauty consumers, for that matter) that are concerned about price tag, Glossier’s skin-focused products might be out of reach.
While all beauty fanatics have different concerns and priorities, skin care consumers who are balling on a budget need to cast their net wide in order to find potential alternatives they might like based on the ingredients of Glossier's top 4 products.
If you love Glossier skin care, but don’t love the price tags, check out what our ingredient-list simliarity tracker has discovered based on the INCI lists of four of your favorite Millennial-pink-bottled products.
Products that have the ingredients of Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser
The Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser is praised for its gentle formula that soothes, purifies, and nourishes the skin. This Glossier conditioning face wash goes for $9 for a travel size ($4.50 per fluid ounce) and $18 for a larger bottle ($2 per fluid ounce).
If you love this face wash, but don’t want to shell out that kind of cash, check out two alternative products below that we discovered based solely on the ingredient lists.
e.l.f. Bounce Back Jelly Cleanser
The e.l.f. Bounce Back Jelly Cleanser has a highly similar INCI with the Glossier Milky Jelly cleanser. This coconut-infused cleansing jelly contains no parabens, no sulphates, and no phthalates. The non-foaming gel is praised for being able to remove makeup, without stripping the skin.
Note that we don't know about the ingredient concentrations or the processing but the ingredients it shares with Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser are:
• PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate8: An emulsifier that conditions skin, providing shine and softness.
• Isohexadecane: An emollient and solvent that improves cleansing.
• Xylitylglucoside: An ingredient that moisturizes skin by preventing water loss.
• Panthenol: An alcohol that moisturizes and improves wound healing.
• Isopropyl Myristate: A moisturizer that promotes absorption of ingredients into the skin.
• Anhydroxylitol: A natural ingredient that acts as a humectant, helping skin absorb and retain moisture.
• Polysorbate 80: A synthetic nonionic surfactant that makes products easier to apply.
A bottle of the e.l.f. Bounce Back Jelly Cleanser goes for $6 ($1.78 per fluid ounce) on the e.l.f. website.
Geek & Gorgeous Jelly Joker
If the e.l.f. option doesn’t sound like the jelly cleanser to end all jelly cleansers, take a peek at the Geek & Gorgeous Jelly Joker. This jelly cleanser is fragrance free, contains no artificial colors, no parabens, no sulphates, and no synthetic fragrances. Geek & Gorgeous claims that this “gentle, but hard-working” cleanser can dissolve water-soluble makeup and is great for anyone who loves a non-foaming face wash.
Based on their publicized ingredient lists, here are the ingredients it shares with Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser:
• Propanediol: A glycol that increases absorption of ingredients.
• Poloxamer 184: A surfactant that acts as a cleansing and emulsifying agent.
• Panthenol: An alcohol that moisturizes and improves wound healing.
• Allantoin: A compound that moisturizes the skin.
• Xylitylglucoside: An ingredient that moisturizes skin by preventing water loss.
• Anhydroxylitol: A natural ingredient that acts as a humectant, helping skin absorb and retain moisture.
• Xylitol: A natural sugar alcohol that strengthens the skin's barrier and helps it retain its natural moisture.
• Ethylhexylglycerin: A skin conditioning agent that smooths skin and also acts as a preservative.
You can snag the Geek & Gorgeous Jelly Joker cleanser for $9.99 ($1.97 per fluid ounce) on the Geek & Gorgeous website.
What about products that contain the ingredients similar to the Glossier Super Bounce (New Formulation)?
Glossier Super Bounce is a hyaluronic acid serum that also includes Pro-Vitamin B5 for long-lasting hydration. Glossier reformulated this product back in 2019 in order to increase the percentages of the key ingredients, but overall, it seems like the formula remained largely the same.
The combination of 2% Hyaluronic Acid Complex and Pro-Vitamin B5 works to hydrate and soothe the skin for the long run. You can snag this serum on the Glossier website for $28 ($28 per fluid ounce).
Check out some Glossier Super Bounce potential alternatives inspired by its INCI list below.
Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum: 💸Best Value💸
The Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum appears to provide value compared to Glossier’s Super Bounce Serum. Note that we don't know the ingredient quality or concentrations which can make a product more expensive but if you want to save money, you're going to have to cast your net wider. While this gem of a serum doesn’t show up when you use our ingredient-list similarity tracker, we still think its worthy of a double take.
The Good Molecules serum contains a shorter list of ingredients, but most are present within the Super Bounce formula. It doesn’t appear as having a high percentage of the ingredients in Super Bounce due to the Glossier formula having a much longer ingredients list.
The Good Molecules lightweight serum promises to replenish your skin’s moisture content with three types of hyaluronic acid. The brand claims that the three forms of hyaluronic acid with different molecular weights allow the serum to penetrate through multiple layers of your skin for deep, lasting hydration.
Ingredients it shares with Glossier Super Bounce:
• Glycerin: A natural compound that hydrates, smooths, and provides that sought-after dewy look to your skin.
• Xanthan Gum: An ingredient that helps bind, emulsify, and thicken a product.
• Disodium EDTA: An ingredient that improves foaming abilities and helps to preserve a product.
• Caprylyl Glycol: A humectant that pulls water into the skin and helps hold it there.
• Chlorphenesin: A preservative used to improve shelf life.
What do you think? You don't know the ingredient concentrations or the processing but it's a great product to do a deeper dive into. This serum goes for only $6 ($2. 37 per fluid ounce) on the Good Molecules website. This is a great price for a hyaluronic acid serum, which is why we think the Good Molecules option deserves a shout out here.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum looks like another great product to check out if you're looking for a formula that contains a similar INCI list to Glossier’s Super Bounce.
Neutrogena’s daily serum is formulated with 17% Hydration Complex and contains both high and low weight hyaluronic acid, which is an essential hydrator naturally found in the skin. In this formula, according to the brand, hyaluronic acid joins with glycerin, which penetrates nine layers deep within the skin’s surface. This non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic serum is free of fragrance, parabens, and mineral oil.
Ingredients it shares with Glossier Super Bounce:
• Glycerin: A natural compound that hydrates, smooths, and provides that sought-after dewy look to your skin.
• Sodium Hyaluronate: The sodium salt version of hyaluronic acid that attracts moisture in skin cells, helping to hydrate the skin.
• Panthenol: An alcohol that moisturizes and improves wound healing.
• Xanthan Gum: An ingredient that helps bind, emulsify, and thicken a product.
• Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer: An emulsifier used to improve the texture of skincare products.
• Disodium EDTA: An ingredient that improves foaming abilities and helps to preserve a product.
• Caprylyl Glycol: A humectant that pulls water into the skin and helps hold it there.
• Chlorphenesin: A preservative used to improve shelf life.
• Sodium Hydroxide: A highly alkaline ingredient that soaponifies oils, allowing them to lather in cleansers and soaps.
The Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Serum goes for $17.19 ($17.19 per fluid ounce).
Potential alternatives based on the ingredient list of Glossier Super Pure
Next up in Glossier’s Super collection is the Super Pure serum. This Niacinamide face serum includes no alcohol or parabens and is praised for improving skin texture and clarity. The serum is 5% Niacinamide, which is “just the right amount to be effective without irritating skin”, claims Glossier.
The Super Pure Serum goes for $28 ($28 per fluid ounce) on the Glossier website. If you love the benefits of niacinamide, but don’t love the price tag on that bottle, check out two great options from Revolution Beauty, the UK-based beauty company that brings you our next batch of potential alternatives.
Revolution Blemish and Pore Refining Serum 10% Niacinamide + 1% Zinc
What many people don’t know is that dehydrated skin may actually overwork and create excess oil secretion, which is why Revolution Beauty created a 10% Niacinamide serum to protect your skin’s barrier against moisture loss. On an INCI basis, Revolution’s serum is similar to Super Pure. Revolution’s formula also includes 1% Zinc to soothe skin, protect against environmental aggressors, and diminish the appearance of breakouts.
Ingredients it shares with Glossier Super Pure:
• Niacinamide: A form of Vitamin B that can reduce pigmentation and signs of aging, and delivers antioxidants to the skin.
• Propanediol: An emollient that hydrates the skin by helping it retain moisture, and also improves the feel of a skincare product itself.
• Zinc-PCA: A natural compound that controls sebum (oil) production in the skin, reduces swelling, and improves hydration.
You can snag this serum for $7 for a 1.05 fluid ounce bottle ($6.67 per fluid ounce) or $12 for a 2.02 fluid ounce bottle ($5.94 per fluid ounce).
Revolution 15% Niacinamide Serum
Revolution clearly does not agree with Glossier’s hot take on a 5% Niacinamide serum being all a gal needs, as they doubled down and created an even more potent Niacinamide serum. Revolution’s “blemish-busting” 15% Niacinamide serum targets pimples and reduces the look of fine lines and pores. Like Glossier’s Super Pure, this formula also includes Zinc-PCA, which is highly effective at treating breakouts.
Ingredients it shares with Glossier Super Pure:
• Niacinamide: A form of Vitamin B that can reduce pigmentation and signs of aging, and delivers antioxidants to the skin.
• Propanediol: An emollient that hydrates the skin by helping it retain moisture, and also improves the feel of a skincare product itself.
• Zinc-PCA: A natural compound that controls sebum (oil) production in the skin, reduces swelling, and improves hydration.
This serum goes for $11.20 ($11.09 per fluid ounce) on the Revolution website.
Any product suggestions if I loved the now discontinued Glossier Bubblewrap?
Glossier’s discontinued Bubblewrap Eye + Lip cream was a favorite for keeping sensitive areas of the face soft and hydrated. When it was available, Bubblewrap employed some of nature’s strongest hydrators: hyaluronic acid, squalane, and avocado oil. Antioxidant-rich blueberry extract also added extra kick to the light-as-silk cream.
If you felt strong emotions when Glossier discontinued its Bubblewrap cream, you should check out this discovery based on the Bubblewrap ingredient list.
TruSkin Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream: ✨Top Choice✨
When we found out that the Bubblewrap was being discontinued, we did a deep dive into its claims ingredients list in order to find a product alternative. While this product is only recommended for use on the eyes, we’ve found that the TruSkin Hyaluronic Acid Eye Cream has all of the same claims ingredients as Bubblewrap. The TruSkin option also contains the added benefits of Vitamin C, Vitamin B5, and Glycolic Acid at 2%. We don't know the ingredient concentrations, quality or processing of TruSkin's product but if you’re missing Glossier’s eye cream, we suggest you check this out.
Ingredients it shares with Glossier Bubblewrap:
• Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: An emollient that protects skin from moisture loss and acts as an antioxidant, which allows it to also act as a natural preservative.
• Isopropyl Palmitate: An emollient that enhances the penetration of other ingredients into your skin.
• Lecithin: An emollient and emulsifier that acts as a protective barrier for the skin.
• Phenoxyethanol: An antimicrobial agent that is used to prolong the shelf life of products.
• Potassium Sorbate: A preservative used to maintain stability of skincare products.
• Sodium Benzoate: A preservative that prevents the growth of mold and bacteria.
This eye cream goes for $15.95 ($31.90 per fluid ounce).
Discover New Products based on the ingredient INCI lists of All Your Skin Care Favs
SKINSKOOL’s ingredient-list similarity tracker is the "world's first ingredient-based beauty product discovery algorithm". With the help of a cosmetic chemist and software engineer, we spent two years creating this powerful algorithm. The SKINSKOOL ingredient-list similarity tracker approaches product discovery from a novel, but also, most logical angle – the product's publicly available ingredient INCI lists. Other product discovery algorithms might work on a "key word" search or a from a function perspective; when it comes to beauty, we care about the actual ingredients listed on the product. We may not know ingredient concentrations, quality or processing but the ingredient list is a great start in our research process.
Interested in discovering new products based off the ingredient lists of your favorite products? Check out our ingredient-list similarity tracker now.
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