Brands print a big % on the front. We check whether it's enough to actually do something.
000of 000 strong enough
Across 0 ingredients.
checking labels…Brands print a big % on the front. We check whether it's enough to actually do something.
52of 66 strong enough
Across 4 ingredients. The other 14 are too weak to do much.
strength on the pack · checked 04-09-2026Strength isn't everything
The form of the ingredient and the rest of the recipe matter too. We only read the number on the front.
Vitamin Cascorbic acid · 13 of 16 pass−9% short
Vitamin B3niacinamide · 26 of 32 pass−3% short
Alpha-Arbutin8 of 10 pass−1% short
Vitamin Aretinol · 5 of 8 pass−0.2% shortStudies show roughly how strong each ingredient has to be to work. We read the % printed on the pack and compare it to that. Weaker isn't fake — it just does less than the front of the pack suggests.
We only check serums and moisturisers — things you leave on. A face wash rinses off, so a serum's strength is the wrong bar for it.
We only compare an ingredient once four products print a strength, so one odd one can't skew it.
Vitamin C — needs 10%, per Dermatology consensus. The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health · Nutrients 2017 · PMID 28805671
Vitamin B3 — needs 5%, per Dermatology consensus. Niacinamide: a review on dermal delivery strategies and clinical evidence · Drug Deliv Transl Res 2024 · PMID 38722460
Alpha-Arbutin — needs 2%, per Dermatology consensus. Melasma: A Step-by-Step Approach Towards a Multimodal Combination Therapy · Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2024 · PMID 38800358
Vitamin A — needs 0.3%, per Dermatology consensus. Human Skin Aging and the Anti-Aging Properties of Retinol · Biomolecules 2023 · PMID 38002296
strength on the pack · checked 04-09-2026