I was really excited to finally get my hands on a bottle of Skin Deva 20% VITAMIN C+E + FERULIC ACID SERUM. I’m a big fan of Vitamin C as a skincare ingredient in general.

Ingredients

Water, Ethoxydiglycol, L- Absorbic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Vitamin E, Polysorbate 80, Panthenol, Ferulic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Benzylalcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid.

The ingredient list looks okay at first glance, as this serum does contain a multitude of good skincare ingredients.

Ascorbic Acid – Ascorbic acid is the source of Vitamin C in this serum, and it accounts for 20% of the serum. As a general rule, you want at least 10% for an effective formula, 15% is better, and 20% is pretty great. Topical Vitamin C has been scientifically proven as an effective topical treatment for a variety of skin conditions, including acne, fading of scars, and strengthening the skin’s barrier function. It also promotes collagen production, and is often marketed as an anti-aging ingredient for this reason.

Unfortunately, Vitamin C in general has 3 months of shelf life. It’s extremely sensitive to light and oxygen; overexposure to either one of those things will cause it to oxidize rapidly, at which point it loses its efficacy. This is why it’s important for Vitamin C to be packaged in dark colored or opaque bottles. It’s also important to use up a Vitamin C product within a a reasonably short span of time – 3 months is a good rule of thumb, but if your Vitamin C product darkens at any point, it’s time to stop using it. A darker product means it has oxidized.

Before I get into my application method, I’d like to point out that this serum really is designed to be used at night. The primary reason for this is its Ascorbic Acid content, which is easily broken down by UV rays. As for my application method, I apply this serum as soon as I cleanse and tone my face in the night.

Before trying this serum, I read a few blog reviews that stated this serum dries with a little sticky finish. If you apply this serum on its own and don’t apply any additional skincare products afterward, that is true. This serum glides on during application, but it does feel sticky to the touch once it’s dry. Also worth mentioning is that the Serum does tingle a bit just after application.

Results

All that said, my results from using the serum have been good! When I began using this serum, I had some very visible hyper pigmentation spots on my forehead that had been lingering for weeks with little to no fading. After the second week of using the Serum, I noticed they had faded dramatically, and after a month, they were almost gone. My overall complexion also looked visibly brighter after about a week of use, and my overall skin texture appears smoother now than it did a month ago, especially in my nose area.

Where to buy

The Skin Deva 20% VITAMIN C+E + FERULIC ACID SERUM is available from SkinDeva. It retails for $24.99