antipodes apostle skin brightening serum vs the ordinary ascorbyl glucoside 12% serum

if you've read my review about antipodes serum, you might notice that sometimes i'd compare that to ordinary vitamin c serum. i understand that it's not a good comparison since the antipodes one is non vitamin c serum, but both works as brightening serum, so i'm curious about the performance. especially since antipodes one is quite pricey. so let's dive in!

this is what antipodes claims: this water-based serum helps correct dull, blemished or uneven skin. the revolutionary antioxidant vinanza grape & kiwi helps minimise the appearance of facial redness. exfoliating enzymes from the superfruit kiwifruit and soothing vinanza oxifend from pinot noir grapes leave skin gloriously glowing. meanwhile, mamaku black fern and reishi mushroom of immortality boost healthy cell renewal for true, fresh-faced beauty.
vinanza grape & kiwi is clinically shown to improve skin cell membrane integrity by decreasing trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) by 16%, improve skin elasticity by 16%, decrease skin redness by 7% (erythema), and lighten skin by 3,5% (melanin content).

antipodes apostle serum ingredients: aqua (walwera artesian water), aloe barbadensis (aloe vera juice) extract, cyathea medullaris (mamaku black fern leaf) extract, gluconolactone, sodium benzoate, amigei (scleroflum gum), vitis vinivera (vinanza oxifend pinot noir grape) extract, caprylyl/capryl glucoside, dehydroacetic acid, benzyl alcohol, xanthan gum, actinidia chinensis (vinanza kiwi kiwi fruit skin) extract, rubus idaeus (raspberry seed) oil, vinanza grape & kiwi (vitis vinifera/grape seed & actinidia chinensis/kiwi skin) extract, gandoderma lucidum (reishi mushroom) extract, sodium hydroxide, pure plant fragrance of green apple & cardamom, benzyl alcohol, cinnamal, citral, citronellol, geraniol, component of essential oil.

full face progress (no noticeable difference between my left and right face right?)

this is what the ordinary claims (on beautybay website): an antioxidant solution to visibly target dullness, uneven tones, and signs of ageing. with a light serum texture, this high-potency blend of pure vitamin c applies smoothly to the skin, delivering antioxidants that help to brighten and reduce signs of aging by stimulating collagen synthesis and inhibiting melanin production.
- ascorbyl glucoside: a water soluble derivative of vitamin c, meaning it has high-stability and is comfortable to use.

ingredients: aqua (water), ascorbyl glucoside, propanediol, aminomethyl propanol, triethanolamine, isoceteth-20, xanthan gum, dimethyl isosorbide, ethoxydiglycol, trisodium ethylenediamine, disuccinate, 1,2-hexanediol, caprylyl glycol.

as you can see above that there's only two similar ingredients between those serum. the aqua is not completely the same though.. the antipodes one is from special source water from new zealand, while the ordinary's water is just regular water. but they put ascorbyl glucoside which is its main ingredients second after the water, while the antipodes one, the main ingredients (the grape, kiwi, mushroom and the black fern leaf extract) is placed all over the ingredients list. but you can clearly see that the antipodes one is large on natural extract ingredients, which supports its claim being vegan and organic and stuff. so if you are concern about cruelty free, organic and natural skincare, you should pick the antipodes one.

the ordinary progress i use three drops for half-face notice the acne scars on my cheek is lighten within a week

as for the packaging, both comes in cardboard box and dark glass bottle with dropper. it's a usual standard packaging for antioxidant serum which is usually sensitive to sunlight and should be keep in the dark and cool place. 

antipodes progress i also use three drops for half my face notice that the acne scars near my ears are not that quickly disappeared even after several weeks

the serum itself though is totally different. the vitamin c serum is almost clear while antipodes gives me quite a fright with being super dark. turns out it's its normal color. phew! as for application, both spreads easily all over my face, and takes a couple of minutes to be completely absorbed. but, i have to say that with the ordinary one, you have to be careful about layering it. some people reported that it pills on them. i never experienced one though, but i don't have that many product to use daily to begin with, so if you are big on skincare cocktail, you might want to try the correct product to layer with it. 

top is antipodes bottom is ordinary you can see both doesn't work on my dark spots, but the ordinary one works better in terms of reducing acne scars

now, the result time. as i've said in my antipodes review, i said that it works okay for some non-vitamin c serum. it's hydrating but not that much. and it doesn't help with my dark spots, but considering that i'm only using this for a month, probably it just need more time. in reducing acne scars, you can see that the ordinary works better and a bit faster. so if you're like me, which is inpatient in seeing progress result, i suggest you pick the vitamin c serum as it works a bit faster. as for the price, the ordinary one is lot cheaper than antipodes, but there are other vitamin c serum that's as expensive as antipodes one. if you ask me, i'd pick the ordinary one over the antipodes, but not based on the performance. i like it better for giving faster result and cheaper. but i might try other vitamin c serum other than the ordinary.