The Ordinary Vitamin C 23% + HA Review

I've heard mixed reviews about this product. Some say its gritty and others say its too irritating (although it was reformulated at one point). That being said I've wanted to try it for a while in the hopes it would help my Hyper-pigmentation so thoughtfully left over by my acne. This formula has 23% ascorbic acid, one of the best forms of vitamin c for pigmentation issues but The Ordinary has a guide for their different forms of vitamin c, here. But another popular form is Ascorbyl Palmitate and is often found in cheaper products, especially moisturizers as its oil soluble and it's a good antioxidant but won't do much for pigmentation.

Ascorbic acid can also increase collagen production helping to with fine lines and protect against free radical damage. That being said ascorbic acid has a tendency to sting or be gritty as aforementioned. When left for long periods of time or in bad packaging it can easily oxidise so it's not something you want to keep in a stash and use only once in a while.

Oxidation is when it reacts with the air (acting as an antioxidant, losing electrons) which will cause the serum to change colour rendering it ineffective and some say it can be harmful. Its nothing to be worried about but if the serum changes colour its time to bin it.


Free From:
Water, Silicone, Oil, nuts and alcohol are listed on the product page. Although Deciem says "across all brands including The Ordinary, are free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, benzalkonium chloride, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury, oxybenzone."

Ethics:
Don't test on animals or sell in China. Vegan.

Price:
£4.90 (12.17)

First Impressions
The product has slip and is smooth, it has a slight metallic smell. It does feel a bit greasy after applying but it's not too bad. The 2% Hyaluronic Acid defiantly helps to smooth out fine lines. I was very much expecting to have to deal with stinging and a gritty texture but luckily I had none of that. The serum has a low viscosity, meaning its quite liquid but is sold in a tube. They say they changed it from a bottle with a dropper to a tube after it was requested by customers but I don't feel like its thick enough for a tube, it can be quite clumsy to get some out so I'm not sure whether I like the packaging.

How I recommend using it:
It's somewhat thick and occlusive (sits on top of the skin). I would use it as a last step before moisturiser as it wouldn't be nice to layer under other serums.

Overall Opinion:
I don't like the texture that much with it being overly occlusive, instead, I am trying their Alpha Arbutin 2%. I might find a different use for this serum, maybe on my hands. I did try and use it under my eyes but it moved into them from rubbing quite quickly and caused a fair amount of stinging.


References

Humbert PG , et al. (n.d.). Topical ascorbic acid on photoaged skin. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12823436

Oxidation of ascorbic acid. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://chemistry.oregonstate.edu/courses/ch130/old/VITCTEXT.htm

Vitamin C in dermatology. (2013, April). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673383/

Caring for Medicated skin

Be it prescription retinoid or an over the counter product, when things get serious and you need something medicated these products can often leave your skin feeling worse than before. The good thing is a lot of the side effects of topical drugs and active skincare products can be avoided.

Starting with cleanser you want something that isn't going to dry or irritate, the dermatologists favourite generally being Cetaphil. Whilst I used up a bottle of Cetaphil and found it to work fine I prefer something what is going to put something back into my skin, that's why I use the Cerave Hydrating cleanser. A favourite among skincare and acne forums this gentle cleansers cleans skin whilst putting ceramides and hylarunoic acid back in so keeping the skins barrier in tact. I do find this cleanser leaves a residue feeling, if you don't like that then they do produce a foaming version.

Following the theme I also like the Cerave facial night lotion, this light nighttime moisturiser contains many of the same skin barrier repairing ingrirdents as the cleanser with the much appreciated addition of niacinamide helping to calm the skin.

Other than that I continue to acid tone and use the same day products as I did before, avoid high fragrance products that I was fine with before prescription retinoids but now leave my skin very red. Make sure to start slowly with retinoids and medication, use them every other day at first, and to apply to dry skin.