Looking for a Shiseido Skin Glow foundation dupe that doesn’t cost $60? A viral infographic says the ~$20 excel Skin Tint Serum delivers the same sheer, watery, glowing finish.
On sticker price, SHISEIDO Revitalessence Skin Glow Foundation runs about $60 for 30ml. excel Skin Tint Serum costs about $20 for 35g. The infographic calls that a 2.9x gap.
Per unit, the gap is closer to 3.4x. That’s about $2.01 per ml for Shiseido against $0.59 per g for excel (treating g and ml as roughly equal for a liquid foundation).
So does that extra $40 buy better chemistry, or just a better counter? We compared both INCI lists on CosDNA.
Why Serum Foundations Took Over
A serum foundation tries to make makeup behave like skincare. The texture is thin and fluid, the coverage is sheer and buildable, and the finish looks like skin that’s slightly dewy and healthy rather than painted on.
The infographic’s core claim holds up. Both products are sheer, watery-looking, and built for a natural glow, and Shiseido’s glow is the stronger and glossier of the two.
The part that doesn’t hold up is the idea that they’re the same product underneath.
The At-a-Glance Comparison
| Product Name | Price (USD) & Volume | The “Glow” Engine | Skincare Actives | Formulation Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHISEIDO Revitalessence Skin Glow Foundation | Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone (#2) plus Hydrogenated Polyisobutene | Niacinamide, rice ferment, tea and burnet root extracts | Fast-setting active serum feel; SPF 30 PA+++ | |
| excel Skin Tint Serum | Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone (#4) plus Nylon-12, Boron Nitride and Mica | Shea butter, 4 ceramides (trace), mulberry and peony root | Silicone-based, nourishing base; SPF 28 PA++ |
The Secret to the “Skin Glow”
Both lists contain Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone. It’s a high-refractive-index silicone fluid, which means it bends light strongly and gives a wet, glossy sheen. It sits at #2 in Shiseido and #4 in excel, so it’s near the top of both.
That’s a real overlap, and it explains why the two finishes look similar in photos.
It isn’t the whole story, though. excel’s glow has extra help from light-scattering powders: Nylon-12, Boron Nitride, Mica and Synthetic Fluorphlogopite. Japanese retail copy describes these as “mirror ball” powders that diffuse light. Shiseido relies more on its silicone-and-emollient base and has no mica in the list we analyzed.
The silicone chemistry differs too. excel is silicone-heavy, with Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate and several crosspolymers. Shiseido has only three silicones, and two of them are emulsifiers.
So the shared ingredient is real, but the “shared silicone technology” is one fluid, not one formula.
SHISEIDO’s Active Brightening Serum
Shiseido’s list reads like a skincare serum that happens to have pigment in it.
- Niacinamide (#8) is a well-studied ingredient for evening skin tone with consistent use. We can’t know the dose in a foundation, so treat “visibly brightens over time” as plausible rather than proven.
- Lactobacillus/rice ferment adds a fermented conditioning ingredient. CosDNA lists it three times under slightly different names, which looks like a database duplicate.
- Denatured Alcohol (#6) gives the fast-setting, ultra-thin serum feel.
- Octinoxate (#5) is the organic UV filter. Titanium Dioxide sits near the end of the list as the pigment and mineral filter, and together they support the SPF 30 PA+++ label.
There are caveats. CosDNA gives Denatured Alcohol an irritancy score of 5 and Isostearic Acid a comedogenicity score of 5. The list also includes lavender oil. Those scores are crude, but breakout-prone and reactive skin should patch test.
Filter lineups vary by market, so check the label for the version you’re buying.
excel’s Shea and Ceramide Approach
excel is a silicone-based serum tint with a skincare story built on lipids.
Shea butter oil is a real contributor at #9. Glycine Soja Sterols, Tocopherol and Hydrogenated Lecithin add more conditioning on the lipid side.
The four ceramides (Ceramide AP, NG, NP and EOP) are the headline, but they sit at the very end of the list. They’re likely present in tiny amounts, so think of them as a bonus rather than a barrier-repair cream in foundation form.
On UV, the CosDNA list shows Titanium Dioxide as the only UV-relevant ingredient, and the official listing gives SPF 28 PA++. That’s close to Shiseido’s SPF 30.
The Verdict: Beautiful Look-Alikes, Different Skincare
These are aesthetic dupes, not formula dupes. The finish matches closely, but the skincare inside each bottle is different.
Choose SHISEIDO ($60) if you want a fast-setting, lightweight serum foundation with niacinamide and ferments, and your skin tolerates alcohol and fragrance comfortably. It’s the glossier of the two.
Choose excel (about $20) if your skin is dry, flaky or easily irritated. On paper it’s the gentler pick, mostly because of what it leaves out: no high-ranking alcohol and no fragrance ingredient in the list. Add shea butter and a ceramide bonus, and it costs about a third as much.
The smart-shopper move: if you want a Shiseido-style glow for less, excel gets you most of the way for a fraction of the price. If you want active ingredients with your base, Shiseido is the one that does the work.
Disclaimer: The information and ingredient analysis provided in this article are for educational and informational purposes only. Everyone’s skin type and condition are different; readers should carefully assess their own individual needs and conduct a patch test before purchasing or using any new skincare. Every product has its unique formulation and characteristics. For specific product inquiries or claims, please contact the respective brand directly. For professional dermatological advice, diagnoses, or skin concerns, always consult a board-certified dermatologist or qualified healthcare professional.
