- Texture
- Light dry oil
- Scent
- Faint natural citrus from the actives
Vitamin C Brightening Serum
Even tone, without the sting.
15% stabilized vitamin C with ferulic acid and vitamin E. Fades dark marks and sun damage over eight to twelve weeks.
- Free delivery over $60, otherwise $5 standard in three to five working days.
- Thirty day returns, opened or not, with free return postage in the US.
- Vegan, fragrance-free and never tested on animals.
About this formula
Pure ascorbic acid works, and it also oxidizes into a brown liquid within weeks and stings skin that is not already used to it. We use tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate at 15%, an oil-soluble form that stays stable in the bottle, penetrates well and does not require a low pH to do its job.
Ferulic acid and vitamin E sit alongside it, which is the combination most of the research is built on. Together they slow the free-radical damage that daylight causes and steadily interrupt the pigment production that leaves dark marks behind after a spot heals.
Expect brightness within three to four weeks and a real change in dark marks by week eight. Worn in the morning under SPF, it also makes your sunscreen work harder.
Key benefits
- Fades post-acne marks and sun spots over eight to twelve weeks
- Brighter, more even tone within a month of daily use
- Stays stable in the bottle, no oxidizing to orange
- Gentle enough for skin that cannot tolerate pure ascorbic acid
How to use it
- 01Use in the morning, after cleansing and before moisturizer.
- 02Apply four drops to dry skin across the face, neck and the backs of the hands.
- 03Always follow with SPF 30 or higher, every day without exception.
- 04If you also use retinal, keep the vitamin C for mornings and the retinal for nights.
Ingredient highlights
- Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, 15%
- A stable, oil-soluble vitamin C that works without the low pH that causes stinging.
- Ferulic acid, 0.5%
- Extends the antioxidant life of the vitamin C and improves its performance in daylight.
- Vitamin E, 1%
- Works with the other two to reduce free-radical damage across the day.
Full ingredient list
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Squalane, Tocopherol, Ferulic Acid, Bisabolol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract.
What people say about the Vitamin C Brightening Serum
Three months of the vitamin C and the marks along my jaw from last year have genuinely faded. Not gone, but faded enough that I noticed in a photo before I noticed in the mirror.