When I was reading about vitamin C and its benefits for skin, I saw in various sources that this nutrient is believed to be the best cosmetic ingredient to deal with dullness and dark spots. The same sources implied that vitamin C promotes glowing skin, erasing at the same time post-acne marks and other blemishes from the skin’s surface. Doesn’t it sound promising?
Since vitamin C seems to have no adverse effects on the complexion, I decided to give it a try and introduce a vitamin C skincare product into my daily ritual. I asked around to find out which brightening cosmetics are the most popular nowadays, and simply ordered them to verify whether they are really that amazing as they are said to be. I won’t lie, that was one of the longest cosmetic tests I’ve run by far. Was it worth it? Am I satisfied with the results? Do I consider one serum better than the other, or do all of them actually bring similar effects? In a moment you’ll learn everything.
I think that there are many people who have nothing against vitamin C. After all, we know this nutrient as our ally in staying healthy when the weather isn’t favorable. Apart from keeping our body strong, it appears that vitamin C has more in store for us. What shocked me was the information that when served in the form of a face serum, vitamin C gains skin improving qualities.
As mentioned above, I tested the top-rated and most popular vitamin C serums. Below I’m going to write a short review on each product, giving my reasons why I like/dislike them.
TOP-RATED VITAMIN C FACE SERUMS
Nanoil, Vitamin C Face Serum
I’ve known about the Nanoil brand for some time now. I like their hair products so when I found out that they had launched a brightening serum I really wanted to give it a try. The very first thing that made me want to use this serum even more was the form of vitamin C they pumped into this product. From what I’ve learnt, 3-0-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is currently the most effective and the safest vitamin C of all. It’s stabilized so it’s able to penetrate deeply. On top of that, this form of vitamin C is said to be totally safe for sensitive skins, which makes Nanoil Vitamin C Serum suitable for all skin types.
Another plus for being formulated with just a couple of ingredients – I didn’t find any substances that may contribute to clogging pores. I like the idea of enriching the serum with Punarnava root extract, which is a naturally-derived antioxidant. This is why this serum is able to delay aging.
I was so surprised when I woke up the day after applying Nanoil Vitamin C Face Serum for the first time. My skin felt moisturized and nourished. After a couple more uses my complexion stopped being dull. Instead it became healthy-looking and radiant. Every time I applied the serum in the morning, it kept my skin glowing for the entire day.
The main goal of Nanoil Vitamin C Face Serum is to give us a long-lasting effect of clear and brighter complexion. And it manages to do so, at least on my skin. Even its texture suits me: it’s non-greasy and absorbs into the skin quickly, leaving no residues on the face. I love this product so much that I consider Nanoil Vitamin C Face Serum my absolute favorite among all brightening skin products. And the best part is that I don’t need to repurchase it anytime soon because one bottle holds as much as 1.69 fl oz (50 ml), which is more than you normally get.
Learn more: www.nanoil.us
Olehenriksen, Truth Serum with vitamin C
To be honest, I’d known this orange Truth Serum way before I decided to run my test. I even happened to have it and use it, and that’s why I was so delighted when I found out that Olehenriksen Truth Serum is one of the best-selling skin products enriched with vitamin C. Obviously, I bought it again and – just like the last time – I was surprised how easily it makes my skin moisturized and smooth, which I really like.
Olehenriksen Truth Serum is formulated with several extracts taken from orange, rosehip and grapefruit. The latter, of course, makes an additional source of vitamin C. This review wouldn’t be complete without me mentioning how amazing this serum’s aroma is. Interestingly, this aroma doesn’t linger long on the skin, which is another plus – too much fragrances may cause headaches and be simply annoying.
I know that this serum’s list of ingredients is pretty long, and this may lead to higher risk of irritation, but the constituents are impressive: aloe juice and even hyaluronic acid. I also need to mention that Olehenriksen Truth Serum soothes irritations, strengthens the skin and, of course, brightens pigmentation spots. I do find this product highly satisfying – it gives me everything I’m looking for in a brightening face serum. Unfortunately, there is one thing about this serum that makes me sad – the price. To me, this serum is too expensive to be used continuously.
Clochee, Antioxidant Oil Serum with Vit. C
Let me tell you right at the start that the rich oil content wasn’t encouraging. My first thought was that this serum would be too greasy, thus needing more time to absorb into the skin, leaving some residues that ruin makeup. Clochee Antioxidant Oil Serum with Vit. C is made up of, among others, jojoba oil, grape seed oil, sunflower seed oil and sweet almond oil.
Even though it has so many oils, the list of ingredients isn’t long. From what I understand it’s pretty natural, and it’s dominated by… the oils – no doubts about it. That’s why I had this impression that there is not enough space for vitamin C to show its full potential. To me it seems that this is just an extra ingredient, not a key ingredient.
Nevertheless, Clochee Antioxidant Oil Serum with Vit. C works fine. You can expect it to moisturize and leave the skin more resistant to external aggressors. Actually, it works okay as an anti-ageing agent too. What disappointed me mostly, however, is that I didn’t notice any significant brightening effect. My skin tone wasn’t evened out either. What surprised me was that the serum managed to penetrate fully but I don’t know how much time it needs for that because I used to apply it at bedtime. I can tell you that before I fell asleep, I still could feel the serum on my face.
The Ordinary, Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution
This is another skincare product that I have mixed feelings for. In general, I like The Ordinary for offering budget-friendly skincare products. I also like that their products always come with a dropper which facilitates application and helps them stay fresh for longer.
When it comes to their brightening serum that I’ve tested – Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution – it delivered pretty quick effects, that’s for sure. I saw that this serum succeeded at freeing my face from dark spots (even the widespread ones). It also seemed to me that the fine lines on my forehead were reduced, which was an effect I didn’t even dare to dream of.
Nevertheless, despite giving me an even-toned complexion, The Ordinary Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution tended to cause a reaction for the first couple of days I used it. Of course, it wasn’t anything serious or painful, but I felt some discomfort for sure. Later I learnt that this brand offers other brightening serums with lower vitamin C concentrations, which I think I should have started with. Anyway, this serum happens to be okay, especially if you see how cheap it is. Still, erasing blemishes from my face with this serum wasn’t very pleasant at the beginning.
QUICK SUMMARY
As you can see, all top-rated brightening face serums delivered the promised results. Some of them did it better, others needed more time but all in all I’m happy with how my skin looks now. If you have some questions about Nanoil Vitamin C Face Serum, Olehenriksen Truth Serum, Clochee Antioxidant Oil Serum or The Ordinary Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution just leave a comment below. I promise to do my best to answer you the quickest possible. But for now, take care and “see” you in next post 🙂
