Medik8 Calmwise Serum
- Anti-aging
- Moisturizing
- Anti-oxidation
- Exfoliation
- +1 more
- niacinamide
- lactic acid
- alpha-arbutin
- acetyl glucosamine
- +4 more

Price comparison
Can the product deliver on its promises?
Promise
What does the product description say?WIMJ summary for anti-aging
This product can help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness because it contains acetyl glucosamine.
These ingredients in the product can also be helpful, even though there is less evidence for their effectiveness: lactic acid.
Keep in mind that it typically takes at least 6 weeks to notice any results because the changes that are needed to improve fine lines and elasticity happen in the deeper layers of the skin. No topical anti-aging product can “erase” wrinkles or fully reverse signs of aging.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
MEDIUM
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HIGH |
Promise
What does the product description say?WIMJ summary for moisturizing
This product can help improve hydration of the skin with the two types of ingredients.
The first type is called “humectants”:
these ingredients help attract water.
When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from
within deeper layers of the skin. The following ingredients in this product do the job:
lactic acid, sodium hyaluronate.
This product also contains ingredients called “occlusives”. They help reduce the speed with which our skin loses moisture to the outside environment. These ingredients also help soften the upper layer of the skin, so it feels less tight and nicer to the touch. The following ingredients in this product do the job: linoleic acid.
The following ingredients in this product are especially good for supporting the skin barrier and helping with the hydration level: acetyl glucosamine, linoleic acid
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
HIGH | |||
HIGH |
WIMJ summary for evens skin tone
This product can help reduce hypepigmentation and even out the skin tone because it contains the following effective ingredients: acetyl glucosamine, alpha-arbutin, kojic acid, lactic acid, undecylenoyl phenylalanine
Keep in mind that you would need to apply any topical skincare targetted at hypigmentation consistently for a couple of months to get a result. No topical skincare product can help get rid of hyperpigmentation (including post-acne marks and age spots) instantly.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
HIGH | |||
HIGH |
WIMJ summary for exfoliation
This product can help exfoliate the skin. In other words, it helps break down the bonds between dead cells on the surface of the skin and speed up the skin turnover. Skin often appears softer and brighter after exfoliation, but overdoing it can result in disrupted skin barrier. The following ingredient is doing the exfoliating job in this product: lactic acid.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
HIGH | |||
MEDIUM
|
WIMJ summary for anti-oxidation
This product contains antioxidants (kojic acid) that can help neutralize free radicals in skin. By doing so, they can lessen the damage the skin gets from the UV light (sun).
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
HIGH |
How honest is this product?
Promise | Can it deliver? |
---|---|
Anti-aging | |
Moisturizing |
Potential irritants

Ingredient | Irritancy | Skin Benefit |
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lactic acid | ||
alpha-arbutin | ||
alcohol denat. |
Ingredients by volume
Ingredient | Estimated concentration |
---|---|
Plain old water
| 40% - 60% |
An exfoliating and moisturizing alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA). Typically causes less irritation than other AHAs, for example, glycolic acid. At high concentrations (about 15%), lactic acid can help reduce lines and wrinkles. Recent studies show that lactic acid can support the "good" bacteria living on skin's surface (healthy skin microbiom)
| 4.5% - 6.8% |
Might help reduce hyperpigmentation when used regularly over a long period of time. Is more effective than beta-arbutin
| 3.8% - 5.7% |
Show more |
Similar products & dupes
Medik8 - Calmwise Serum | Regimen Lab - Level Serum | YEOUTH - Niacinamide Serum with Hyaluronic Acid, Licorice Root Extract and Aloe Vera | skinmade - Niacinamide + Allantoin serum | Perricone MD - High Potency Hyaluronic Intensive Hydrating Serum | Naturium - Alpha Arbutin Serum 2% | Urban Skin Rx - HydraFirm + Brightening Serum | Physicians Formula - Skin Booster Brightening Vitamin Shot | SOUL APOTHECARY - Alpha Arbutin PLUS Serum | The Garden Of Wisdom - Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum | Facetheory - Exaglow Serum S10 | |
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WIMJ similarity score | 80% | 77% | 76% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 74% | 74% | |
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Questions
Skincare resources
Scientific Sources
- Epidermal and dermal effects of topical lactic acid
- Dual Effects of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids on the Skin
- The effect of N-acetyl-glucosamine on stratum corneum desquamation and water content in human skin
- Glucosamine: an ingredient with skin and other benefits
- Genomic expression changes induced by topical N-acetyl glucosamine in skin equivalent cultures in vitro
- Incorporation of D-(^H)glucosamine into normal and psoriatic epidermal glycoconjugates
- Reduction in the appearance of facial hyperpigmentation by topical N-acetyl glucosamine
- TOPICAL TREATMENT OF MELASMA
- A randomized, double‐blind, vehicle‐controlled study of a preparation containing undecylenoyl phenylalanine 2% in the treatment of solar lentigines
- Niacinamide - mechanisms of action and its topical use in dermatology
- Gehring, W. (2004). Nicotinic acid/niacinamide and the skin. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(2), 88–93. doi:10.1111/j.1473-2130.2004.00115.x
- Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging
- Hyaluronan (Hyaluronic Acid): a natural moisturizer for skin care
- Final report on the safety assessment of sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite, ammonium sulfite, sodium bisulfite, ammonium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite and potassium metabisulfite