Hello, hello!

Today I’m reviewing another product from my recent mini-haul from Deciem / The Ordinary – the Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%. (Info in italics is taken from their website)

Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant and its pure form of L-Ascorbic Acid has been shown to reverse multiple signs of skin ageing while brightening the skin when applied topically. This water-free, silicone-free formula provides 23% pure L-Ascorbic Acid which remains completely stable due to the absence of water. The system is supported with addition of dehydrated spheres of Hyaluronic Acid to offer visible surface smoothing alongside the benefits of Vitamin C. This treatment is ideally applied at bedtime.

This is a different Vitamin C formulation than I’m used to using, it is closer to a moisturizer in its viscosity and not a serum as I’ve used previously. There is some information about the formula below, with my comments in between:

Note: The format of this formula is a suspension of very fine L-Ascorbic Acid powder and, as such, provides the most direct exposure of extremely high concentrations of Vitamin C topically. With such format, there are 2 important things to consider: 

1) A very strong tingling but non-irritating sensation is expected during the first 1-2 weeks of use until the skin’s tolerance to such high exposure is elevated. If the sensation is too strong to tolerate, the formula can be mixed on each application with other creams or serums of your preference.

As you all know I have sensitive skin, so I always expect some sort of tingling or stinging with certain types of products, and can distinguish between the safe level of tingling and the “my face is melting” type. I’ve been using this one every second night for about 3.5 weeks now and it still tingles when I use it, but within the safe range. Until my skin adapts, I won’t be using it every night. The tingle does fade quickly when I apply facial oil or moisturizer afterwards.

2) The powder exposure to the skin disallows the formula to feel like a serum, lotion or cream and each application requires a few seconds to feel absorbed by the skin. This formula feels gritty for a few seconds after application. If you prefer to avoid this gritty feel, we suggest our Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone. 

Texture-wise, yes, it is gritty when first applied, but the gritty feeling goes away – thankfully.

My skin does well with Vitamin C based products, it makes my skin look so much brighter and smoother. Despite the tingle and grit factors, the Vitamin C Suspension is a great budget friendly product at $5.80 CAD. The Ordinary recently introduced a silicone formula version which is not supposed to be gritty, but I have not tried it. For a higher end Vitamin C product, I’d recommend the Perfect Pro C 25% Serum from MyChelle Dermaceuticals (reviewed here) which sells for approximately $65 CAD.

What is your favourite Vitamin C product?

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: I purchased this.