A Vitamin C Hero?

Vitamin C is one of my absolute favourite skincare ingredients for brightening, firming and just generally making me look like I’ve avoided the sun, alcohol and anything remotely bad for glowing skin my whole life (sadly less true that you’d think)… So I try to include it in my routine as much as possible.

As a long-time fan of REN’s Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial vitamin C treatment, I was intrigued to try a similar concept from UK-based beauty brand Lixirskin, and their Vitamin C Paste.

 

The Brand

Launched in October 2017 by dermo-pharmacy doctor Colette Haydon, Lixirskin takes a science-backed, no-nonsense approach to beauty; concentrating instead on un-fussy, effective formulas (in some delightfully minimalist packaging, I must say).

Having spent 20 years as a skincare formulator for some pretty impressive big names like Ren Clean Skincare, Colette created Lixirskin’s current lineup of 9 products with skin-friendly ingredients and ease of use in mind.

I’ve tried (and been impressed by) most of the range so far, with dewy skin goodie, the Good Skin Day Shaker*, currently an everyday favourite.

 

Lixirskin’s Vitamin C Paste

Containing 10% L Ascorbic acid (considered one of the most effective forms of vitamin C), this ingredient acts as a gentle acid peel, helping to exfoliate and prevent melanin product (responsible for hyperpigmentation). Meanwhile, this vitamin is also a powerful antioxidant which helps to neutralise free radicals and prevent UV damage.

The Full List of Ingredients

Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Ascorbic Acid, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Oryzanol, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Flower Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool

 

On the Skin

Firstly, let me just say that for a vitamin C treatment (which notoriously smell terrible) I actually really like the scent of this product- sort of like lily pollen.

Massaged over dry skin before being ‘activated’ with water (ie, massaging it into skin further but this time with wet fingers), I can feel a slight tingle as this starts to get to work. It’s not an uncomfortable sensation though, and it tends to subside within a minute or so of trotting about with this on.

After leaving on for around five to 10 minutes (depending on how much time I have on a particular day and how lazy I’m feeling), I wash off with a gentle face cloth and follow with a moisturiser.

 

The Results

Compared to the REN product, this paste is pretty impressive for evening skin tone but doesn’t offer the same ‘oh wow’ glow as the Flash Rinse. Instead the result is still healthy, slightly more uniform-looking skin with a subtle glow on the day I’ve used it.

Over time though, this does make a noticeable difference on any slight patches of hyperpigmentation I have (although not on my melasma).  And with daily use my overall skin tone is brighter and healthier… Overall, I’m definitely a fan.

 

How to Use it

Because vitamin C is also notoriously unstable and prone to splitting, I make sure to give this a good shake before massaging a tiny amount across my dry face before wetting fingers and working this further into skin.

Lixirskin suggest leaving this for a minimum of one minute each day, and up to around 15 minutes if you have time- which I try to do.

 

Some Alternatives

For maximum glow: As I mentioned above, I’m a huge fan of Ren’s Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial; a super-charged vitamin C treatment that gives me pretty much my glowiest skin ever- and all in just one minute.  It is a pretty powerful product though, so possibly best avoided by the more sensitive skin types (and I certainly don’t use this anywhere near a small patch of rosacea I have).

 

For pigmentation: Vitamin C is famously great for helping with hyperpigmentation, and The Ordinary’s Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2% sees vitamin C here in its most effective form, alongside another pigmentation-battling hero, arbutin, for impressively even-looking skin tone.

 

For breakouts: Taking advantage of vitamin C’s cell-renewing powers is The Inkey List’s C-50 Blemish Night Treatment, which uses a less potent but also potentially less irritating form of vitamin C to ascorbic acid; sodium ascorbyl phosphate.  As well as being a slightly gentler ingredient, sodium ascorbyl phosphate is also more stable, as well as being an anti-microbial, making it great for helping to tackle breakouts.

The Inkey List’s product takes these skin-clearing properties and combines them with the pore un-clogging benefits of salicylic acid; a beta hydroxy acid famous for helping clear up and prevent breakouts.

 

The Takeaway

As someone with some patches of hyperpigmentation and the slightly less-than-megawatt-bright tone of someone who’s spent most of their life living in a city, I can say I’m a definite fan.

The results are both immediate and long-lasting, and it’s also a doddle to use too; taking the hassle out of applying multiple serums/skincare layers (a definite win for the permanently late for everything and therefore never able to allow serums to dry before I layer them like me).

Great for: Instant glowing and skin tone-evening properties.

Not-so-great for: Budget buys, since this isn’t all that cheap and there are other vitamin C products around for less (I also really like The Inkey List’s 15% Vitamin C and EGF Serum).  Having said that, this product really does deliver on its claims, and it’s defninitely mades its way onto my permanent re-buy (and recommend to friends) list, so if you have the spare cash and any pigmentation problems it might be worth giving it a go.

Lixirskin’s Vitamin C Paste is £32 for 50 ml, Cult Beauty UK and $45 for 50 ml, Net a Porter US

 

*Denotes PR sample

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