Vitamin C serum potency

hyacinth003 · ‎03-12-2010

I have used Timeless, Drunk Elephant, and Paula's Choice.

The Timeless is great for price, but it kind of stings me. Drunk Elephant is sticky on me. So I last tried Paula's Choice. It felt nice.

I am wondering about potency and degrading of them. The Drunk Elephant is packaged in supposedly an airless pump, which SHOULD assure freshness. I felt like the Paula's Choice started to turn darker. The Timeless tells you 3 months is assured, especially if you put it in the refrigerator (which I do).

I'd like to think I have a stable product that works. Any thoughts?

Hyacinth

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

I like to check the pH of my vitamin C serum. The pH is a good indicator of the serum's potency. For most C serums made with ascorbic acid the pH should ideally be close to 3.5 and numbers higher would indicate that the serum has oxidized meaning it is not an effective product. However, if the serum in question has another form of vit C called MAP then the ideal pH for that is close to 7.

pH test strips like this one from Amazon are an easy way test your serums. This roll of pH test paper cost about $9. Item number B005OD7AEM

Hydrion S/r Dispenser 0.0-6.0 Ph Range 96 - 15 Ft Roll w/ Color Chart/ Dispenser

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

@hyacinth003 wrote:
I have used Timeless, Drunk Elephant, and Paula's Choice.

The Timeless is great for price, but it kind of stings me. Drunk Elephant is sticky on me. So I last tried Paula's Choice. It felt nice.

I am wondering about potency and degrading of them. The Drunk Elephant is packaged in supposedly an airless pump, which SHOULD assure freshness. I felt like the Paula's Choice started to turn darker. The Timeless tells you 3 months is assured, especially if you put it in the refrigerator (which I do).

I'd like to think I have a stable product that works. Any thoughts?

Hyacinth

@hyacinth003 Would you consider a different kind of product? Pycnogenol is a super antioxidant that’s 20 times more powerful than Vitamin C. I’ve never read anything about it being unstable. Elysee has a pycnogenol serum that I’ve been using for quite awhile. It’s a watery gel type consistency.

chiclet · ‎03-19-2010

I have tried a few Vit. c Serums and find them sticky. The one I am using now is fine (Mad Hippie) and dries down but not sure it works well with other stuff and I never see any results. Maybe I don't use more than the one bottle and I need to, to see long term effects. I don't have a lot of patience and want immediate results.

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

@chiclet wrote:
I have tried a few Vit. c Serums and find them sticky. The one I am using now is fine (Mad Hippie) and dries down but not sure it works well with other stuff and I never see any results. Maybe I don't use more than the one bottle and I need to, to see long term effects. I don't have a lot of patience and want immediate results.

@chiclet MH Vitamin C serum is an excellent product, if you want to stick with an actual Vitamin C serum. The form of Vitamin C is SAP which remains stable. I used this one for a long time before I learned about the Elysee pycnogenol serum. As for seeing results, what exactly are you expecting to see?

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

It has been found that the most effective form of vit C is ascorbic acid. However, for people with sensitive skin who can't tolerate the low pH of ascorbic acid, which can sting and be slightly exfoliating, there are two other common alternative forms of vit C. There are serums made with MAP and SAP, which have shown to be effective at higher pH (5 to 7 for SAP or 5 to 6 for MAP). Why is pH so important? Because in order to penetrate the skin's natural barrier, the serum must be acidic (pH of less than 7). But keep in mind, too, that although you may need to use a vit C serum that contains a less irritating form of vit C with a higher pH, that may not give you the results you are looking for or the results you have seen might be taking longer than expected.

When choosing a vit C serum it's good to check the form of vit C used in the product. That way you can check for it's potency by monitoring the product's pH and use it accordingly.

chiclet · ‎03-19-2010

@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:
@chiclet wrote:
I have tried a few Vit. c Serums and find them sticky. The one I am using now is fine (Mad Hippie) and dries down but not sure it works well with other stuff and I never see any results. Maybe I don't use more than the one bottle and I need to, to see long term effects. I don't have a lot of patience and want immediate results.
@chiclet MH Vitamin C serum is an excellent product, if you want to stick with an actual Vitamin C serum. The form of Vitamin C is SAP which remains stable. I used this one for a long time before I learned about the Elysee pycnogenol serum. As for seeing results, what exactly are you expecting to see?

I guess when I say results I mean some change for the good. Not really sure...maybe brighter, even skin tone or something....

San Antonio Gal · ‎05-18-2017

I've had excellent results with the Vitamin C pads by Serious Skin Care. These pads faded discoloration areas on my face. In fact, I didn't expect the results I've had so I was extremely pleased. I use them daily and they come in a pack of 60 - around 35.00.