We all know great benefits of putting vitamin C on the skin. But while there are thousands of vitamin C serums out there on the market, it’s not easy to find a good one. That’s because there are variety of issues that make it challenging to formulate the vitamin C product that actually delivers results.
Typically, vitamin C is really unstable. Main reason is because ascorbic acid is water loving and unstable. Therefore, it’s challenging to formulate a product with vitamin C that is not only stable, but will actually penetrate your skin barrier and get in the deeper layers of the skin to do the things that it needs to do.
Plant Mother’s vitamin C serum does have plant-based ascorbic acid, but how do we know if it is going to remain stable and actually get into our skin? There are few things in Plant Mother’s formulation that help with this. First of all, it is pH. By lowering the pH of a product below 3.5, this serum helps in getting the vitamin C into the skin.
Additionally, it helps stabilizing it, mainly due to the fact that this serum is oil-based and not water-based. Vitamin C delivered in this specific oil-based formula gains greater stability and preserve all the nutrients and benefits it needs to deliver. Additionally, there are a few things that can be added to help stabilize the ascorbic acid namely the combination of vitamin E and ferulic acid. Ferulic acid not only helps stabilize, but it helps contribute to a lowering of the ph and that’s what Plant Mother’s vitamin C serum has.
The percent of ascorbic acid in the product also matters. The optimal range is anywhere between 10% and 20%. This product has a botanical equivalent of 20% strength, so it meets those criteria. Moreover, unlike chemical vitamin C, this serum doesn’t cause any skin sensitivity, stinging, or purge because of plant-based botanicals it’s made of.
Additionally, Plant Mother’s serum has plant-based niacinamide. Niacinamide can help reduce sun damage and improve hyperpigmentation. And it’s a great antioxidant, however it’s not going to boost up collagen production by itself. So, the combination of vitamin C and niacinamide gives your skin everything it needs for protection and anti-aging.
For best penetration of the serum, use in the morning, after cleansing, on damp skin. I recommend washing your face and applying a few drops on your face and neck while your skin is still damp. After applying it, I definitely saw an almost instant skin brightening effect. It also helps in terms of giving a wrinkle smoothing effect and just making the skin overall look more luminous. I like to use it during the day and Plant Mother’s retinol in the evening: https://theplantmother.com/product/organic-plant-based-retinol-serum/
Plant Mother’s vitamin C serum has a very pleasant mild and sweet natural fragrance from Kakadu plum, which is great. This serum does not have that slight chemical smell that most synthetic vitamin C serums to do. And unlike many popular vitamin C serums (e.g. SkinCeuticals) it is cruelty free, vegan, and organic.