Active Serum
Reviewed by SerumTruth Editorial · Updated July 2026
A capable, well-evidenced acid-and-brightening serum aimed at texture and tone, wrapped in a clinical-brand price. The active levels are undisclosed and the arbutin is more garnish than dose. It works, but you are paying a steep premium over cheaper acids that do the core job.
- Evidence24 / 30
Strength of the research behind the key actives
- Glycolic Acid: strong evidence
- Salicylic Acid: moderate evidence
- Alpha Arbutin: moderate evidence
- Score is the average of the key actives’ evidence grades.
- Potency19 / 25
Dosed at studied levels, not fairy-dusted
- Glycolic Acid: dosed at a studied level
- Salicylic Acid: dosed at a studied level
- Alpha Arbutin: below the 1% line, treated as fairy-dusted
- Potency tracks how strongly the actives are dosed, led by the strongest, not how many there are.
- Delivery & stability14 / 20
Delivery tech + packaging that protects fragile actives
- Delivery: standard
- Packaging: tinted glass
- No fragile actives here, so packaging barely moves the score.
- Formulation3 / 10
Disclosure, active breadth, and ingredient generation
- 0 of 3 actives disclose a concentration
- 3 key actives (breadth credit caps at 3)
- Current-generation or synergistic: Alpha Arbutin
- Value6 / 15
What a month of use costs vs. the category
- About $47 per month to use
- $155 for 30 ml, used about once a day (about 0.3 ml each time), so a bottle lasts about 3.3 months
- Frequency is set by Glycolic Acid, which is used no more than 7x a week, so a bottle stretches further
- Band: $6/month or less earns full marks, $60/month or more hits the floor.
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What’s inside
| Active | Disclosed | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Glycolic Acid | n/a | Studied |
| Salicylic Acid | n/a | Studied |
| Alpha Arbutin | n/a | Below 1% line |
A multi-tasking treatment serum combining sugarcane-derived glycolic acid, salicylic acid and arbutin for surface renewal and the appearance of a clearer, more even tone, in a frosted-glass pump. iS Clinical does not disclose the individual percentages, and the arbutin sits low on the list as a supporting brightener rather than a headline dose. It is potent and best introduced slowly.
How it’s delivered
Air- and light-sensitive actives (vitamin C, copper peptides) lose potency fast in the wrong packaging, so delivery and the bottle are scored, not just what’s on the label.
The actives, explained
Cosmetic information for general education, not medical advice. The SerumProof score reflects our reading of publicly available research and formulation disclosures. See how scoring works.