Daily Brightening Exfoliator

Differin

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Differin Daily Brightening Exfoliator is a exfoliating scrubs & peeling gel. Our analysis of its 24 ingredients (19 low-risk) rates it Excellent (90/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Exfoliating Scrubs & Peeling Gel
Ingredients
24
Low-risk
19
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
Origin
United States
Data updated
Jun 2026

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 7/7
Good for dry skin
Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide Cetyl Alcohol Stearyl Alcohol Caprylyl Glycol Butylene Glycol Jojoba Esters Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Caution for dry skin
Cetyl Alcohol Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate Stearyl Alcohol Hexylene Glycol Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Sodium Hydroxide Menthol
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Sensitive Skin 6/10
Good for sensitive skin
Kojic Acid Jojoba Esters Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Sodium Bisulfite Menthol Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Caution for sensitive skin
Kojic Acid Cetyl Alcohol Sodium Chloride Stearyl Alcohol Butylene Glycol Hexylene Glycol Citric Acid Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Menthol Phenoxyethanol

Ingredients list

24 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All24 Skin Conditioning14 Masking7 Fragrance7 Viscosity Controlling6 Emollient6 Foam Boosting5 Viscosity Increasing Agent5 Surfactant4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
4
B
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Sufactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
1
A
Cetyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Fragrance, Opacifying, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Stearyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Fragrance, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Foambooster, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Foam Boosting, Masking, Opacifying, Refatting, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
1
A
Jojoba Esters
(Emollient, Moisturising, Skin Conditioning, Soothing)
1
B
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
(Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
Sodium Chloride
(Bulking Agent, Masking, Oral Care Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
6
7
B
Kojic Acid
(Antioxidant)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
B
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
(Skin Conditioning)
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
1
B
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
(Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Astringent, Emollient, Humectant, Masking, Oral Care Agent, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Tonic, Uv Absorber)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
3
A
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
(Sufactant, Emulsifying)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Hexylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Emulsifying, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant)
1
Menthol
(Denaturant, External Analgesic, Flavoring Agent, Fragrance, Oral Health Caredrug, Masking, Refreshing, Soothing)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Dry Skin
Bad for Dry Skin
3
A
Sodium Bisulfite
(Antioxidant, Hair Waving Or Straightening, Reducing, Preservative)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
2
4
Chromium Hydroxide Green
(Cosmetic Colorant, Hair Dyeing)
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Antioxidants
Shields skin from free radical damage.
Niacinamide
Strengthens, smooths, and brightens skin.
Kojic Acid
Brightens skin and helps fade dark spots.

Benefits

HydratingBoosts hydration and relieves dry, tight skin.
BrighteningRestores radiance to dull, tired skin.
Reduces IrritationEases discomfort and supports skin resilience.
Redness ReducingSoothes visible redness and calms irritation.
Anti-AgingSoftens lines and helps skin look youthful.
Good For Oily SkinBalances oil and helps reduce shine.
Reduces Large PoresMinimizes the look of enlarged pores.
Scar HealingImproves the look of marks and scars.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Kojic Acid — higher EWG
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioningSufactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentViscosity controlling
Distearyl Phthalic Acid Amide
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningEmollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingFragranceOpacifyingEmulsifyingSurfactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentEmollientMaskingViscosity controlling
Stearyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingFragranceEmulsifyingSurfactant- foamboosterViscosity increasing agentEmollientFoam boostingMaskingOpacifyingRefattingViscosity controlling
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Jojoba Esters
Emollient, Moisturising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientMoisturisingSkin conditioningSoothing
Sodium Chloride
Bulking agent, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Bulking agentMaskingOral care agentViscosity controlling
Sodium Hydroxide
Denaturant, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B DenaturantPh adjusterBuffering agent
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Sufactant, Emulsifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A SufactantEmulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientHumectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Deodorant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A DeodorantSkin conditioning
Hexylene Glycol
Fragrance, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSolventViscosity decreasing agentEmulsifyingPerfumingSkin conditioningSurfactant
Sodium Bisulfite
Antioxidant, Hair waving or straightening
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A AntioxidantHair waving or straighteningReducingPreservative
Disodium EDTA
Chelating agent, Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Chelating agentViscosity controlling
+ 1 more — see the full ingredients list above
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing, Foaming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B CleansingFoamingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Kojic Acid
Antioxidant
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6–7 CIR B Antioxidant Good for Dry Skin
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A CIR B Skin conditioning Good for Sensitive Skin
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial, Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B AntimicrobialAntioxidantAstringentEmollientHumectantMaskingOral care agentSkin conditioningSkin protectingTonicUv absorber Good for Oily Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
Menthol
Denaturant, External analgesic
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 1 DenaturantExternal analgesicFlavoring agentFragranceOral health caredrugMaskingRefreshingSoothing Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive SkinBad for Dry Skin
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Morning only: Apply as the last step of your AM routine, after moisturiser, and reapply every ~2 hours of sun exposure.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Niacinamide 2–5% (up to 10%)

Most research uses 2–5%; some formulas go to 10%. Very high levels can cause flushing in sensitive skin.

Niacinamide

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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