I’ve recently tried two vitamin C products: Indeed Laboratories Vitamin C24 and Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Vitamin C Collagen Booster. I got into vitamin C products a while back through the Obagi serum as a way to fade sun freckles on my hyperpigmentation-prone skin (Fitzpatrick type III, which in my opinion is one of the worst types if you’re prone to hyperpigmentation, because not only do you get pigmentation easily, but it also contrasts more with the rest of your skin). Vitamin C has other benefits too, such as promoting collagen synthesis (plumps up skin and reduces wrinkle depth), soaking up sun damage as an antioxidant, and fading acne scars (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or PIH).
The annoying thing about vitamin C in skincare is that it tends to be very unstable, breaking down rapidly to dehydroascorbic acid in the presence of light, water and oxygen, and doesn’t penetrate the skin easily (it generally needs to be at pH < 3.5 for it to be unionised and hence penetrate skin better). Both these products manage to get around these issues.
Indeed Labs Vitamin C24
Indeed Labs Vitamin C24 ($36.99 for 30 mL) is a white cream-like product that comes in a squeezy tube. It gets its name from the 22% L-ascorbic acid and 2% hyaluronic microspheres that it contains. Here’s the ingredients list:
Dimethicone, Ascorbic Acid, Polysilicone-11, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Silica Silylate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate
The first thing you’ll notice is that this product doesn’t contain water. This is significant for two reasons:
- Water speeds up the decomposition of L-ascorbic acid to inactive dehydroascorbic acid, so using a water-free (anhydrous) formula keeps the vitamin C levels higher for far longer, translating to a more effective product.
- Only water-based products have a pH, and since the cream is oil-based, L-ascorbic acid will be unionised and can penetrate the skin quickly, again increasing effectiveness.
22% vitamin C matches the amount used in an in vitro experiment which used anhydrous vitamin C to increase collagen levels, although a small clinical study found that 10% already had good anti-aging effects. I found that it prickled a bit after applying it to my face – probably a result of the vitamin C dissolving in tiny amounts of water on my skin or in the air.