Can we talk vitamin C serums?

[House Cat]

My head is currently spinning because I just went down the rabbit hole marked "Vitamin C Serums." Do any of you have a current favorite or even better, a tried and true favorite?

I've tried a couple and they burned the heck out of my face! Some seem to have alcohol in them, isn't that aging?

You ladies never steer me wrong with beauty advice. I really should have asked first before wasting my life on the internet, reading for way too long about this...!

 

[monarch64]

C? Never tried it on skin. Vitamin E capsules, yes. Pretty good stuff. Those little gel caps that you just break open, or a small vial that dispenses a few drops at a time.

Lately, though, I've been using grapeseed oil, and sometimes coconut oil. No odor, no flavor, great for your skin and perfect for nighttime.

 

[chrono]

Still looking for the right Vit C.

OST (both versions): sticky as heck. The alcohol version is drying and the non-alcohol version is no better. Oxidizes very quickly and needs care (keep in the dark box in the refrigerator). Not travel friendly at all.

Drunk Elephant: Pricey but comes in an opaque airless pump which extends the life of the product. The pumpkin colours it orange so I have no idea when it finally oxidizes. Smells horrible and gave up on it long before I finished the bottle.

Melano CC: too mild and takes way too long to see any effects

Ordinary C: weird texture and tends to make everything else pill

Hylamide C25: currently testing

 

[kgizo]

I like this one which you can find online or at Whole Foods and the like. The hyaluronic acid keeps it from being too drying for me.

 

[lyra]

I liked the Timeless version. Didn't like Paula's Choice, The Ordinary or Lancome. I'm not totally convinced it did much and unfortunately, once the cold weather hit, all my dry sensitive skin can handle now is AHA and facial oil (Caudalie is preferred). In the summer, it seems like everything works great.

 

[Arcadian]

The only one I've had success with is Obagi Professional c serum.

Cons:
Expensive
Purchase from an authorized healthcare professional's office guarantees freshness
can burn a bit (yeah don't start with 20%!)
itty bitty bottle (30 ml)
did I mention expensive?


Pros:
doesn't need to be refrigerated
does really work (but start slow on this!)
doesn't need much to get the job done. I use a max of 5 drops a day. A bottle can last a good 6 months if you're conservative.

For many years I used NuDerm system, and I have been extremely happy with it. I haven't been on it since last April as I'm not sure when I should even use down here (the sun here is much stronger) I was told to give my skin a break, let it get used to the stronger sunlight down here, then start up in the wintertime. I'll go that route.

So I'm down to using C serum on its own. I'm at 20%, probably about 3 years ago is when I started with 10% because I was using Nuderm much of the year. 20% can be a bit much for someone just starting out. when I jumped in I started with every other day for 3 weeks. Then every day. I think the biggest key to keep it from really burning is to use less.

I use 5 drops daily, more than that its sticky and tacky. Can ball up if you put on moisturizer too soon. So I wait about 30-45 minutes. Since I don't wear makeup daily, even better, I can take my time

 

[Skippy123]

I buy TruSkin Naturals. I just buy it off of amazon. I use only 3 drops on my whole face. I feel like if you use more your face will become irritated. I do use face cream over it once it is dried. I notice a difference.

I hear you can make your own too, I have not tried making my own.

 

[momhappy]

I love what vitamin C does for my skin! Vitamin C does everything - including stimulating collagen, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, protecting the skin from environmental pollutants, and it helps to reduce visible discolorations on the skin
The first time I used it was with the Obagi-C Rx system. I have never gotten so many compliments on my skin as when I did when using those products - my skin was brighter, smoother, etc. I have used several vitamin C products since then. I like Cellex-C High-Potency Serum, Obagi Professional C Serum 20% (as a stand alone product - not in the C Rx system), Skin Ceuticals C E Ferulic just to name a few.

 

[canuk-gal]

I love what vitamin C does for my skin! Vitamin C does everything - including stimulating collagen, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, protecting the skin from environmental pollutants, and it helps to reduce visible discolorations on the skin
The first time I used it was with the Obagi-C Rx system. I have never gotten so many compliments on my skin as when I did when using those products - my skin was brighter, smoother, etc. I have used several vitamin C products since then. I like Cellex-C High-Potency Serum, Obagi Professional C Serum 20% (as a stand alone product - not in the C Rx system), Skin Ceuticals C E Ferulic just to name a few.

Yup. Skin Ceuticals is my go to. Used the Neostrata capsules for years prior to the SC. I could give up many parts of my regimen (and have) but not the Vit C. I believe it makes me look better. Perhaps it is why people don't have me on their ignore list?.

cheers--Sharon

 

[luv2sparkle]

I really like Paula's Choice products. I use their Vitamin C and a lot of their products. I have had really good results with them.

 

[PierreBear]

Hello! Upon a visit to Sephora, I purchased a bottle. Can't remember unfortunately what brand it was but in essence it was supposed to accomplish all those great things for your face. I finished the bottle perhaps in the span of a year but couldn't see much of a change. However, perhaps the benefit is prevention so I wouldn't know what my skin would look like had I not used it. Just wanted to share my experience that for me, I either didn't have a brand that worked with my skin type or the effects were minimal. I now rather invest in a better moisturizer. Good luck and hope you have better results than I did!

 

[momhappy]

^In order for a product to be effective, you need to know what you're buying/using. If a product has to little vitamin C, it's not going to be effective, and too much, can cause irritation. If irritation is a concern, it's good to start out with a product that contains 10% L-ascorbic acid and then work your way up to 20%. It should be applied to clean, dry skin and exfoliation prior to application can sometimes improve absorption of a vitamin C product.

 

[chrono]

^In order for a product to be effective, you need to know what you're buying/using. If a product has to little vitamin C, it's not going to be effective, and too much, can cause irritation. If irritation is a concern, it's good to start out with a product that contains 10% L-ascorbic acid and then work your way up to 20%. It should be applied to clean, dry skin and exfoliation prior to application can sometimes improve absorption of a vitamin C product.

Absolutely true and I agree! And introduce it slowly to reduce the risk of irritation (alternate days as opposed to twice a day).

 

[PierreBear]

^In order for a product to be effective, you need to know what you're buying/using. If a product has to little vitamin C, it's not going to be effective, and too much, can cause irritation. If irritation is a concern, it's good to start out with a product that contains 10% L-ascorbic acid and then work your way up to 20%. It should be applied to clean, dry skin and exfoliation prior to application can sometimes improve absorption of a vitamin C product.

Ok Ladies, I browsed around and I think this is the product I tried by Ole Henriksen. I never had any skin irritation. It always smelled great. I wonder though if my skin could only absorb so much though? I would wash my face and use the ultrasonic. Then I would apply the vitamin C serum. After it felt absorbed, I would then put in moisturizer. Perhaps I couldn't tell the difference between vitamin C and the moisturizer? Didn't mean to hijack the thread but will be following it to see what went wrong. Thanks again and might try a different product after hearing more commentary from ya'll.

http://www.sephora.com/truth-serum-vitamin-c-anti-aging-collagen-booster-P42343

 

[chrono]

Ok Ladies, I browsed around and I think this is the product I tried by Ole Henriksen. I never had any skin irritation. It always smelled great. I wonder though if my skin could only absorb so much though? I would wash my face and use the ultrasonic. Then I would apply the vitamin C serum. After it felt absorbed, I would then put in moisturizer. Perhaps I couldn't tell the difference between vitamin C and the moisturizer? Didn't mean to hijack the thread but will be following it to see what went wrong. Thanks again and might try a different product after hearing more commentary from ya'll.

http://www.sephora.com/truth-serum-vitamin-c-anti-aging-collagen-booster-P42343

This uses a derivative of Vit C, which is known as SAP. The pros of SAP is that it is a stable formulation (not pH dependent, not sensitive to light and heat) and doesn't cause any irritation. SAP is converted to AA by our skin. I read somewhere that 10% SAP is slightly more than or equivalent to the use of 10% L-AA due to its bio-availability.

 

[momhappy]

^In order for a product to be effective, you need to know what you're buying/using. If a product has to little vitamin C, it's not going to be effective, and too much, can cause irritation. If irritation is a concern, it's good to start out with a product that contains 10% L-ascorbic acid and then work your way up to 20%. It should be applied to clean, dry skin and exfoliation prior to application can sometimes improve absorption of a vitamin C product.

Ok Ladies, I browsed around and I think this is the product I tried by Ole Henriksen. I never had any skin irritation. It always smelled great. I wonder though if my skin could only absorb so much though? I would wash my face and use the ultrasonic. Then I would apply the vitamin C serum. After it felt absorbed, I would then put in moisturizer. Perhaps I couldn't tell the difference between vitamin C and the moisturizer? Didn't mean to hijack the thread but will be following it to see what went wrong. Thanks again and might try a different product after hearing more commentary from ya'll.

http://www.sephora.com/truth-serum-vitamin-c-anti-aging-collagen-booster-P42343

Glad you found it! I've not tried that particular brand. I notice that the bottle doesn't list the percentage of vitamin C - unless I missed it somewhere? I dug around on a Google search and the best answer I could come up with was that it contains "roughly" 10% vitamin C. That could be why your results were limited. If irritation is not a concern, you might want to bump up to a product that contains 20% vitamin C.

 

[PierreBear]

^In order for a product to be effective, you need to know what you're buying/using. If a product has to little vitamin C, it's not going to be effective, and too much, can cause irritation. If irritation is a concern, it's good to start out with a product that contains 10% L-ascorbic acid and then work your way up to 20%. It should be applied to clean, dry skin and exfoliation prior to application can sometimes improve absorption of a vitamin C product.

Ok Ladies, I browsed around and I think this is the product I tried by Ole Henriksen. I never had any skin irritation. It always smelled great. I wonder though if my skin could only absorb so much though? I would wash my face and use the ultrasonic. Then I would apply the vitamin C serum. After it felt absorbed, I would then put in moisturizer. Perhaps I couldn't tell the difference between vitamin C and the moisturizer? Didn't mean to hijack the thread but will be following it to see what went wrong. Thanks again and might try a different product after hearing more commentary from ya'll.

http://www.sephora.com/truth-serum-vitamin-c-anti-aging-collagen-booster-P42343

Glad you found it! I've not tried that particular brand. I notice that the bottle doesn't list the percentage of vitamin C - unless I missed it somewhere? I dug around on a Google search and the best answer I could come up with was that it contains "roughly" 10% vitamin C. That could be why your results were limited. If irritation is not a concern, you might want to bump up to a product that contains 20% vitamin C.

Ok so I made a trip to Sephora as my moisturizer ran out.... remembering this discussion, I did inquire about why I didn't see much results. Her thoughts was that my lack of exfoliation really prevented new skin to show the results for Vitamin C. Not sure if it's true or not but I decided to pick up a jar. Also I wanted to share that I picked up a moisturizer that contains Vitamin C. Will give it a try and just wanted to share an alternative to the serums. Good luck to everyone keeping up with their skin care!

http://www.sephora.com/c-e-o-c-e-antioxidant-protect-repair-moisturizer-P416139?skuId=1908326&icid2=products%20grid:p416139

 

[momhappy]

^It looks like that one only has 5% vitamin C, so I wouldn't expect any significant results. I hope that it's a good moisturizer for you, though, and at least if offers a little bit in terms of antioxidants. Let us know how you like it

 

[azstonie]

I did well with SkinCeuticals serum with vitamin C but my problem with SkinCeuticals is that they seem to send all their soon-to-expire products to Arizona so I don't feel like I got full efficacy. Also, heat kills the efficacy of most products so the FedEx trucks get to @ 150 degrees in the summertime here (I actually got that number from FedEx when I called Customer Service) so I figure the product is not great from this also. I order all heat-sensitive items in the winter and I stock up in advance).

I switched to Dr. Lisa Benest Glycolic Acid cream (it comes in percentages: 10%, 15% and 20%) and this was done me a lot of good. Started at 10% and am about to move from 15% to 20%. My dermatologist checked it and said it was a top notch cream. Glycolic acid 'drips' below the derm surface and does its work. I do have mild rosacea and the cream/glycolic acid has NOT given me a flare of this. I buy it on Amazon. I give it a high recommendation. It has no perfume, thank God.

It's shrunk my pores, faded sun damage and fine lines.

I'm probably going to move on to a retinoid soon. I'm also thinking of doing a course of Efudex because its been found to prevent skin cancers (as opposed to removing ones you have on your face/head).

 

[ame]

I've been pretty happy with NIOD/The Ordinary C serums, but I also liked the Drunk Elephant C Firma. Normally I am not a fan of L-Ascorbic Acid serums, in favor of Esters, but these have been very nice.

 

[liaerfbv]

Slightly off-topic, but I recently moved from a (lifetime) in a humid climate to a very very dry cold windy climate and my face is FREAKING OUT. I've had oily skin my whole life and now I cannot get enough moisture. The only way I can keep the peeling somewhat under control is with daily sheet masks, Tarte face oil, and a super heavy cream. A co-worker recommended vitamin C serum to help, but my google results on the efficacy of that is mixed. Any thoughts if vitC will help me here?

 

[Alybetter]

Timeless make a great dupe for Skinceuticals C E Ferulic. Much better on the budget too.

I use Tretinoin for anti aging, have been for a few years, and I find that C serums irritate too much, I've tried several times to integrate them. I've been using Shark Sauce, which is a potent and very inexpensive niacinamide serum, and it's pretty amazing.

 

[distracts]

If you can't handle the burning either start with a lower percentage - like a 10% - or go to something like a MAP (magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) or other form of vitamin C that does not require an acidic pH to work.

I've tried a number of kinds of vitamin C serum. Drunk Elephant and Paula's Choice both broke me out and appeared orange on my skin. Ole Henriksen also was really orange on me and smelled overwhelming. I used a MAP serum I bought off Amazon by Yeouth for a long time. I occasionally use the one by NuFountain and it seems to work fairly well. I've tried a few others but I don't remember who they were by.

 

[chrono]

It seems that my skin is too sensitive to use L-Ascorbic Acid but I can safely use 20% MAP.

 

[Arcadian]

Slightly off-topic, but I recently moved from a (lifetime) in a humid climate to a very very dry cold windy climate and my face is FREAKING OUT. I've had oily skin my whole life and now I cannot get enough moisture. The only way I can keep the peeling somewhat under control is with daily sheet masks, Tarte face oil, and a super heavy cream. A co-worker recommended vitamin C serum to help, but my google results on the efficacy of that is mixed. Any thoughts if vitC will help me here?

Try rose water with glycerin. Used in the colder months in Massachusetts and it really made the difference. Just don't use too much because it can get sticky. A good squirt or 2 every 4-5 hours seems to do very well especially if I was going in and out a lot. Used to use it right before going out to shovel show...lol did help save my skin if it was ridiculously cold. Did not wear to bed however, (glycerin after all can be a bit sticky)

https://www.vitacost.com/heritage-products-atomizer-mist-sprayer-rosewater-and-glycerin

You can sometimes find it at whole foods.

You might also want to try a hyaluronic acid based cleanser. CeraVe makes one thats pretty darn excellent.
http://www.cerave.com/our-products/cleansers/hydrating-cleanser

Something else that may help; oil before bed. Try organic jojoba oil. just a few drops on clean skin. Oily girls need oils to keep things in check!


You could try C serum but I don't think it will be a lot of help right now. You need to get your skin balanced, and C (if you're having lots of dryness) may be very irritating. I can also exacerbate that dryness you're having too. Would only add it in once you get things under control.

 

[chrono]

Slightly off-topic, but I recently moved from a (lifetime) in a humid climate to a very very dry cold windy climate and my face is FREAKING OUT. I've had oily skin my whole life and now I cannot get enough moisture. The only way I can keep the peeling somewhat under control is with daily sheet masks, Tarte face oil, and a super heavy cream. A co-worker recommended vitamin C serum to help, but my google results on the efficacy of that is mixed. Any thoughts if vitC will help me here?

I don't think Vitamin C will help much here. What you are doing is how I deal with the cold and dry weather. I use a hydrating toner (with Hyaluronic Acid) and seal it in with oil (Tarte). Due to fatty alcohol sensitivity, I cannot use any creams.

 

[Arcadian]

It seems that my skin is too sensitive to use L-Ascorbic Acid but I can safely use 20% MAP.

Well unfortunately all things dont work for all people! I'm one of the unfortunate ones that can't use benzyl peroxide because I have a very strange allergy to it its in so much skincare that its scary.

Maybe if it were spread out (like every three days, very small amounts) sounds crazy but sometimes that works.

 

[wildcat03]

I've heard good things about the Timeless Vitamin C serums.

I am using Drunk Elephant C Firma at the moment. HATE the smell, but I'm planning to finish it.

 

[Matata]

I did well with SkinCeuticals serum with vitamin C but my problem with SkinCeuticals is that they seem to send all their soon-to-expire products to Arizona so I don't feel like I got full efficacy. Also, heat kills the efficacy of most products so the FedEx trucks get to @ 150 degrees in the summertime here (I actually got that number from FedEx when I called Customer Service) so I figure the product is not great from this also. I order all heat-sensitive items in the winter and I stock up in advance).

I switched to Dr. Lisa Benest Glycolic Acid cream (it comes in percentages: 10%, 15% and 20%) and this was done me a lot of good. Started at 10% and am about to move from 15% to 20%. My dermatologist checked it and said it was a top notch cream. Glycolic acid 'drips' below the derm surface and does its work. I do have mild rosacea and the cream/glycolic acid has NOT given me a flare of this. I buy it on Amazon. I give it a high recommendation. It has no perfume, thank God.

It's shrunk my pores, faded sun damage and fine lines.

I'm probably going to move on to a retinoid soon. I'm also thinking of doing a course of Efudex because its been found to prevent skin cancers (as opposed to removing ones you have on your face/head).

I bought the 10% and 15% based on azstonie's post. I've tried a lot of stuff over the years and Benest's is the only one that gave me noticeable results. The 10% burns a bit and after 2 weeks it was obvious that it removed quite a bit of skin. Just like a chemical peel but without the redness or any other ick factor. My face got a little bit flakey as though I had too much sun. I used my Neutrogena microdermabrasion thingy to remove the dead skin. I haven't used up all the 10% cream yet, a little goes a long way so it'll be awhile before I start on the 15%.

 

[liaerfbv]

Thanks for the recommendations Chrono and Arcadian! I've actually had pretty decent luck with a hyaluronic acid serum lately thankfully. I may add vitC in the summer when everything calms down.