Another The Ordinaryย review for you. This time itโs actually a specific product: theย Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone.ย In case youย haveย been living in the deepest cave, The Ordinary is a Canadian โclinicalโ skincare brand that has been making waves in the beauty world with its ingredient-led approach andย incredibly low price points. If you read my post on The Ordinary rangeย back in April, youโll have seen that I wasnโt vastly enamoured with them, but they do have some absolute gems. You just need to be very au fait with skincare science (so you can separate facts from their many baseless or simply false claims) and your skin.
The Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone is my favourite product from the range after the Squalane Oil. It is completely mind-blowing, in terms of simplicity โ just 4 ingredients: dimethicone, ascorbic acid, polysilicone-11, and PEG-10 dimethicone. This isnโt for those who want to avoid siliconesย (obviously).ย If you likeย Indeed Labsโ Vitamin C24ย or Paulaโs Choiceโsย Resist 25% Vitamin C Spot Treatment, youโll do most likely do very well with this significantly cheaper alternative. It has that familiar smooth finish of a silicone primer, but is noticeably drier and less velvety to the touch. It isnโt drying on the skin, but it misses out on that immediate plumpness and glowiness that a lot ofย traditional vitamin C serums give.
Hereโs the thing, though; itsย formula makesย incorporating it into yourย skincare routine tricky. (Silicones are occlusive and can possibly impede ingredients from subsequent products from absorbing into the skin. For this reason, I personally recommend only using it at night.)ย It also comes with a warning that a tingling sensation can be expected; I didnโt experience any whatsoever, but my skin is very resilient. But its anhydrous (water-free) formulaย makes vitamin C significantly more stable and has lessย potential for irritation than water-based formulas. The lack of water means pH and other โrulesโ that apply to usual ascorbic acid products donโt apply.ย And according to aย 2006 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology,ย anhydrous vitamin C also increases the production of collagen in human skin!
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone isnโt theย most user-friendly โ youโll probably need to do a bit of experimenting to fit it into your daily skincare routine. But atย justย CDN$6.80(!)ย for 30ml, you canโt really go far wrong with that price.
I would appreciate your opinion on inkey list Vitamin c serum?
iโm confused regarding the stability of this product. does this one really not degrade at all? or is the degradation just significantly slower than a water-based formula? whatโs the lifespan of the product before it goes bad?
Water acts as a catalyst, so a water-free environment greatly reduces the rate of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) degradation during storage and on the skin after application.
How would you compare TO vitamin c suspension in silicone to indeed labs vitamin c24? I know theyโre both silicone based, and they feel pretty similar to me. How do these two compare to TOโs vitamin c suspension 23% + ha 2%? On a different note, I was really hoping for a local alternative to melano cc!
Yes, this and Indeed Labsโ version is very similar โ this does feel noticeably drier in texture though. I really donโt like TOโs Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA 2%. I canโt get past its horrendous thick, gritty, oily texture.
So how do you use it??
Waterly layers-> vitamin c -> cream??
Also the ordinary recently came out with antioxidant serums.. euk 124 and resveratol + ferulic acid
Yes, although Iโd personally keep layering to a minimum.
The Ordinaryโs Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3% is definitely not something youโd want to use undiluted. 3% is a lot higher than the recommended usage rate for ferulic acid and over 90% propanediol is alarmingly high.
I tried the squalane after reading your brand overview and love it! Iโll have to try this one too. Do you have any favorite C serums suitable for daytime use?
Iโm a bit leery that it doesnโt contain vitamin E or ferulic acid! I know those are usually in water-based formulas because it stabilizes the vitamin C, but donโt they also make the vit. C a more effective antioxidant for the skin?
The study finds adding 0.5% ferulic acid stabilises a 15% L-ascorbic acid and 1% ฮฑ-tocopherol solution (at a pH of 3.5 or lower), and all 3 together work in synergy, increasing photoprotection. It doesnโt apply to anhydrous formulas.
Any idea if this product provide close to the same amount of photoprotection as a serum with15-20% L-AA with vitamin E and Ferulic Acid?
Thatโs a good question! I donโt know but I personally would speculate that the 15-20% L-AA with vitamin E & Ferulic Acid would offer more photoprotection.
Given that Pubmed says โa persistent reservoir of vit C is required for adequate photoprotection, and can be achieved by regular 8-hourly applicationโ, Iโd say your vitamin C serum/treatment(s) of choice needs to be applied twice a day every day in order for your skin to actually reap the benefit.
Interesting, Iโve been looking for a vitamin C serum. I have a similar skin type as you (maybe slightly oilier) , do you think I could get away with just using a hydrating toner followed by this?
Iโd say so. It layers perfectly fine over light, watery formulas. Layering gel (or gel-like) formula under/over it will most likely cause product pilling.