pdc’s DIRECT White Whitening Serum is for helping to treat skin that has dark spots, freckles, and acne marks. Now if you suffer from any discolouration like this, I would say that the first thing to do is to ensure you’re protecting your skin from the sun every day, specifically UVA ray — the ray that causes tanning, freckles, and dark spots. Second thing is to treat and prevent what is causing those hyperpigmentation the first place.
I don’t have any freckles or dark spots from sun damage, but the marks left by the pimples I used to occasionally get were fairly prominent. Though the serum hasn’t eradicated the marks completely (and I’m also using a few other things in the routine), my skin is clearer. It is similar in effect to Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution — they have the same key ingredient for fading dark spots, though people who like a straight forward formula with undetectable finish will much prefer this. The serum is just like water, really — scent-free with the same consistency and texture, and it feels like nothing on the skin. It’s so lightweight that the instructions stress to apply straight to bare, clean skin before your lotion.
The Direct White Whitening Serum uses 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid (or ethyl ascorbic acid), a newer vitamin C derivative that is water-soluble, to inhibit the production of melanin. I like the fact that it’s in a pump-action bottle, but I do wish that it is a dark coloured, air-tight variety to ensure the ingredients are kept nice and stable. After doing a bit of research, it seems that the ethyl ascorbic acid is stable under natural light and oxygen. I know many articles say that there is no vitamin C derivatives that are completely unreactive to light and air, therefore, light-tight bottle is essential. But even so, I still say it is an effective serum and, as I said, I have seen fading of my little marks. If you have more than a few marks or discolouration due to hormones, a more potent cocktail will have better effect.
The serum is 50ml and its RRP in Japan is ¥1,500.
