Brightening Serum Formula Review

Asked by: padeyas On: June 21, 2026 Product Type: Cosmetics Answered

Question

Could you please review my brightening serum formula below and let me know if I should add or remove any items. Thanks so much

Ingredient / Phase Amount
Distilled water 54.55%
Propanediol 5%
Butylene glycol 4%
Glycerin or UltraMild Aquaporin™ Glyceryl Glucoside 3%
Niacinamide 4%
Tranexamic Acid 3%
Acetyl-D Glucosamine / GlucoBright™ 2%
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate 0.5%
Panthenol B5 2%
Beta Glucan 0.5%
Ectoine 0.5%
Allantoin 0.3%
Madecassoside 0.1%
Asiaticoside 0.1%
Alpha Arbutin 98% 1.5%
Diglucosyl Gallic Acid / GalaWhite™ 1%
Phytic Acid 0.2%
Sodium Phytate or Sodium Gluconate 0.1%
4-Hydroxyacetophenone 0.3%

Oil / Emollient Phase

Ingredient Amount
Squalane 3%
Meadowfoam Seed Oil 2%
Prickly Pear Seed Oil 1%
Rosehip Oil 1%
Vitamin F / Linoleic Acid 0.5%
Bisabolol 0.3%
Licochalcone A 20% 0.5%
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate or THD Ascorbate 1%
Acetyl Zingerone 0.2%
Gamma-Oryzanol 0.2%

Solubilizer / Emulsifier / Texture

Ingredient Amount
Symbio®Solv Clear Plus MB: Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside; Aqua; Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate; Glyceryl Caprylate; Citric Acid; Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate; Sodium Surfactin 3%
Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate 1%
Aristoflex AVC 0.7%
Sepimax Zen or Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 0.4%

Preservative System

Ingredient Amount
Phenoxyethanol 0.8%
Ethylhexylglycerin 0.3%
Caprylyl Glycol 0.5%

pH Adjusters

Ingredient Amount
Citric acid solution use as needed to lower pH

Answer

Your formula is thoughtful, but it is too crowded for a first stability batch. The listed percentages add to 99.05% before citric acid q.s., so there is only about 0.95% left for pH adjustment and/or water adjustment.

Main recommendation: simplify before adding anything.

Area Keep / adjust Why
Niacinamide keep 4% Within MySkinRecipes niacinamide use range and compatible with a pH target around 5-6.
Tranexamic Acid keep 3% only if this is cosmetic-manufacturer use MySkinRecipes Tranexamic Acid lists 3% as the cosmetic maximum/best level; do not exceed it, and avoid eye/lip area.
Acetyl Glucosamine / GlucoBright keep 2%, or increase later to 3-4% only after stability is proven Good partner for niacinamide; catalog range supports 1-8%, but the current formula already has many brighteners.
Alpha Arbutin keep 1-1.5% Keep final pH about 5.2-5.8 and add cool/final phase. Catalog guidance warns against high pH and heat.
GalaWhite / gallic-acid brightener keep 0.5-1% 1% is within catalog guidance, but together with arbutin + TXA + niacinamide it increases complexity.
Centella actives simplify If using separate madecassoside/asiaticoside powders, 0.1% each is reasonable. If using ActiveRelease Centella, the active content is diluted, so the formula math/function is different. Choose one Centella approach.
Allantoin keep 0.3% Within range and below the common room-temperature solubility concern level.
Humectants choose glycerin or UltraMild Aquaporin at 3% Both are fine, but using one keeps skin feel cleaner. UltraMild Aquaporin catalog guidance fits 3%.
Oil phase reduce to about 3-5% for a brightening serum Current oil phase is about 9.7%, making this more like a light emulsion. Rosehip/prickly pear/Vitamin F can also add oxidation risk.
Solubilizer/emulsifier do a stability test; consider reducing surfactant-style solubilizers if the oil phase is reduced SymbioSolv + Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate may feel foamy/tacky at this level. Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylate/Caprate catalog use range supports 1%, but the whole system must be tested.
Thickener use one main polymer first Aristoflex AVC 0.7% can support oil-in-water gel/emulsion texture. Sepimax Zen is more electrolyte/pH tolerant but its catalog range starts at 0.5%; 0.4% may be low. Using both may become heavy/stringy.
Chelator choose one main chelator system Phytic Acid 0.2% already gives chelating support. Sodium Phytate 0.1% is also valid. Sodium Gluconate is more buffer/pH-support style. You probably do not need all three.
Preservative boosters test, do not assume Phenoxyethanol/Ethylhexylglycerin/Caprylyl Glycol plus 4-Hydroxyacetophenone is strong, but the high active + glycol + oil + botanical load still needs microbial challenge and stability testing.

Suggested simpler version for pilot testing

Do not add more actives yet. First make a 100-200 g pilot batch, check pH immediately and after 24 hours, then run 4-8 week stability checks for color shift, odor, viscosity loss, separation, precipitation, and pH drift. Add heat-sensitive actives such as alpha arbutin, GalaWhite, Centella actives, and asiaticoside in the cool-down/final phase according to each raw material's handling limits.

Tags

Serum Skin Brightening Formula Review Formula Stability