Rael Beauty Good Chemistry Serum Review

Hello again, friends!

I’ve taken a bit of a break from physically writing blog posts over the last few months, but a recent deep-dive into some skincare products gifted to me by Rael Beauty have inspired me to start writing again.

Rael was kind enough to send over full sizes of the Good Chemistry Antioxidant Serum, Creamy Moisture Mist and Moisturizing Gel for me to try out. So full disclosure, I did receive these products for free, but all opinions are my own, and I am in no way required to write a blog post about it, or share anything with y’all. So now that the boring stuff is out of the way, lets jump into the review!

Brand Overview

Rael as a whole is women’s self-care brand that was inspired to create women’s wellness products due to a lack of green, high-quality feminine products in the US. Their product range includes everything from toothpaste to tampons, and sheet masks to acne patches. I’ve only had the chance to try out their skincare, so I’ll stick to that category.

Good Chemistry Serum

The packaging for all of the products is really sleek and attractive – it is a modular plastic so everything is nice and uniform, but varies in the pretty pastel colors of the actual product. The Good Chemistry Serum retails for $38, which is a pretty affordable price for a serum – especially when you consider that this packaging contains 1.69 fl oz of product, which is a sizable difference from the standard 1 fl oz you typically see a serum sold as. All that considered, it’s actually a really affordable product. I’ve seen drugstore brands like Olay and No 7 charge more for their serums.

As far as this specific product goes, it’s marketed as a hydrating antioxidant serum, touting the inclusion of hyaluronic acid and fullerenes in the ingredient list. The inclusion of fullerene really interested me- I haven’t read much about it before trying this product, so I started perusing the ingredient list and really digging into this product. The result was the table included below, which I will include for those that are curious about specific ingredients, and what they do for the skin. For those who literally don’t care, and just want to know if I think it’s a good product, feel free to skip the table and jump to my honest opinion of the serum.

Ingredients, from highest concentration to lowest concentration, and their benefit/purpose:

Water
Glycerin	lipid component – skin replenishing/restoring
Butylene Glycol	humectant – conditioning/moisturizing agent – creates a layer on top of cells
Psidium Guajava Leaf Extract	guava plant extract – high in antioxidants
1,2-Hexanediol	non-sensitizing preservative and binding agent (score 1 by EWG- aka “good”)
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract	Green tea extract – high in antioxidants (EGCG) Very well studied/researched antioxidant with great anti-aging properties for the skin
Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract	Strong antioxidant – compound mostly studied as oral supplement, but there is some research that it supports protection against UV damage -scavenging free radicals
Lentinus Edodes Extract	shitake mushroom extract- might be beneficial, but evidence is mixed on whether it could be sensitizing
Eriobotrya Japonica Leaf Extract	Fruit extract used often in chinese medicine- antioxidant – some studies on ingestion, not much on topical use
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate	skin softening emulsifier, also could be used as a cleansing agent
Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate	emollient, emulsifier, and a cleansing agent (surfactant)
Carbomer	Carbomers help to distribute or suspend an insoluble solid in a liquid
Caprylyl Glycol	moisturizing/wetting agent that also provides stability to a compound – humectant with preservative like properties
Ethylhexylglycerin	preservative/skin softening agent
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer	large molecule that doesn’t penetrate skin, can form a film, used in a lot of sunscreens
Octyldodeceth-16	emulsifier
Sasa Quelpaertensis Extract	anti-inflammatory, antioxidant
Arginine	antioxidant – protect the skin from free radicals, increase skin hydration, and boost collagen production
Acorus Gramineus Extract	anti-inflammatory, antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate	salt form of hyaluronic acid – easier to penetrate the skin for hydration
PVP	thickener
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer	thickening agent, allows the skin to pull moisture from the environment (humectant)
Adenosine	yeast derivative with researched/proven anti-wrinkle benefits (helps stimulate collagen production)
Eclipta Prostrata Extract	antioxidant, skin calming
Fullerenes	antioxidant – light and heat stable
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil	fragrant plant oil EWG 4 – has antioxidant compounds, but considered a fragrant essential oil, so some potential for irritation topically
Citronellol	fragrant plant oil EWG 3 – may cause some irritation with sensitive skin
Geraniol	fragrant plant oil EWG 3 – may cause some irritation with sensitive skin

In terms of formula, this serum is chalk-full of well-know and well studied (high quality) antioxidants and moisturizing ingredients. I also think it’s important to point out that nearly every single ingredient on this list (except for the last 3) are rated a 1 by the Environmental Working Group, an independent group that compiles research from databases and countries. In the opinion of the EWG, this would be a very “clean”/”green” environmentally safe, and low-toxicity formula. The only ingredients that really present any problems in this formula would be the last three. All three are fragrant plant oils, which are likely added only for scent. While they are “better” than a synthetic fragrance, I personally prefer to have no fragrance in my skincare, and am a big believer that the majority of skincare should not include fragrance. Fragrances can be potentially irritating to the skin, and provides no skin care benefits.

From a purely scientific standpoint, this is a great formula. Although it does contain some “natural” fragrance, its only a very tiny amount, and not likely to cause you any problems unless you have unusually sensitive skin.

I personally tried out this serum for about two weeks. My standard skincare routine usually includes a vitamin c serum in the morning, which I replaced with this serum. Typically I prefer a vitamin c centered “antioxidant” serum, although this serum has a majority of the same benefits. Antioxidants are great for the skin in terms of anti-aging, because they have the ability to prevent/combat damage to the skin from free-radicals that can damage your DNA and cause cell damage.

I really liked the texture of the serum – it wasn’t greasy or sticky, and it absorbed into the skin really quickly. I didn’t notice much of a change in my skin with use – which sounds negative, but I don’t see it that way. I’ve been using high-potency vitamin c serums for a few years at this point. So while the Good Chemistry Serum didn’t out perform what I’ve been using, it also didn’t under perform in comparison.

All things considered, this is a great serum if you care about green, clean, scientifically backed antioxidant and hydrating ingredients. At the price point, I think it’s a great purchase if you’re looking to add a formula like this into your skincare routine.

If you’d like to check out the Good Chemistry Advanced Antioxidant serum, you can find it here, along with all of Rael Beauty’s other products.

Hope this provided some useful info on ingredients as a whole, or introduced you to a great new product/brand!

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Until next time,

Amanda Kennedy

Follow along on IG: @amandadev4

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