It’s a rush against time. You use it religiously every single day but you’ve barely gone through half the bottle when you see it. The slightest brownish tinge.
It’s already started. Your precious Vitamin C is going bad. You double your efforts to finish it but you know you’ll never make it in time.
Time to cut your losses and splurge on another bottle. *sighs*
There are ways around this:
- You can use a Vitamin C derivative but you’re compromising on effectiveness. They work, just not as well.
- You can use an anhydrous (without water) formula but these are loaded with silicones. If you don’t like them, this ain’t the option for you.
- You can use an anhydrous formula without silicones, like The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%, but they have an unpleasant gritty texture.
Vichy has taken a different approach. They went mini. As in mini size. The new Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Brightening Skin Corrector is only 10 ml. You’ll have to buy it more often but you actually get the chance to finish the entire bottle before your Vitamin C goes bad.
Table Of Contents
- What’s In Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Brightening Skin Corrector?
- Texture
- Fragrance
- How To Use It
- Performance & Personal Opinion
- Who Is This For?
- Who Is This NOT For?
- Packaging
- Does Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Brightening Skin Corrector Live Up To Its Claims?
- Price & Availability
- Do You Need It?
- Dupes & Alternatives
What’s In Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Brightening Skin Corrector?
L-ASCORBIC ACID TO BRIGHTEN SKIN AND PREVENT PREMATURE AGING
Vitamin C is one of the 5 antiaging superstars (you can find out more about the others here). It does wonders for your skin:
- It fights free radicals that cause premature wrinkle
- It boosts the production of collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and elastic
- It fades dark spots and brightens the complexion
- It enhances sun protection, especially when used with Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid (only Vitamin E is in this serum)
Vitamin C comes in many forms. Ascorbic Acid, the one Vichy uses, it’s the pure form. This is both a good and a bad thing.
It’s good because Ascorbic Acid is the most effective form of Vitamin C out there. Hands down.
It’s bad because Ascorbic Acid is unstable and irritating. That’s why Vichy put it in such a small bottle. But if you have sensitive skin, 15% Ascorbic Acid may just be too irritating for you. If that’s the case, go with a derivative.
Related: Types Of Vitamin C Used In Skincare: Which One Should You Choose?
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ALCOHOL DENAT TO INCREASE PENETRATION
This is a controversial one. If you’re a regular here, you know that Alcohol Denat isn’t one of my fave ingredients.
It’s everywhere because it helps other goodies – like Vitamin C – better penetrate the skin, so it can do a more effective job.
But that doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Alcohol can be drying and irritating to the skin. Fixing the first problem is easy: just moisturise skin well afterwards.
But if your skin is on the sensitive skin, that may not be enough. Personally, I didn’t have any problems with alcohol in this serum (my skin is pretty resistant), but if it doesn’t agree with your skin or you don’t like using it, this isn’t the serum for you.
If it’s not a deal breaker, keep reading. 🙂
Related: What Does Alcohol-Free Really Mean in Skincare?
HYALURONIC ACID TO HYDRATE SKIN
Hyaluronic Acid is a moisture magnet.
It literally acts like a magnet. It attracts moisture from the air and dumps into your skin, plumping it up, smoothing it out, and hydrating it from within. Oh, and the glow! All that moisture gives your skin a beautiful radiance.
Vichy used the hydrolyzed form in this serum. Hydrolyzed means that hyaluronic acid is broken into smaller bits. That makes it slightly less effective.
I personally didn’t find Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Skin Brightening Corrector as hydrating as other hyaluronic acid serums but, if your skin’s on the drier side, every little bit of hyaluronic acid helps.
Related: Why You Should Add Hyaluronic Acid To Your Skincare Routine
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Texture
Lightweight. Fast-absorbing.
Fragrance
It’s fragrance-free.
How To Use It
In the morning, after cleansing, to supercharge sun protection.
Some people claim you can’t use Vitamin C during the day because it makes skin more prone to sun damage. That’s true only if you DON’T wear sunscreen.
When you use Vitamin C TOGETHER with sunscreen, studies show you’re boosting its sun protection.
Performance & Personal Opinion
Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Skin Brightening Corrector is a slightly yellow in colour. That’s NOT a sign it’s gone bad already. It’s the colour of the ingredients.
The lightweight texture sinks into my skin quickly. As I’ve said, I don’t find it particularly hydrating for my dry skin. You may see more of a benefit in this area if your skin’s normal or oily.
But it definitely does everything a vitamin C serum is supposed to do. After only a few days, my skin is already brighter. If you have tired, dull skin, this serum will give it that much-needed pick-me-up.
With regular use, this much Vitamin C also keeps my skin younger, prevents wrinkles, and slows down sagginess.
If you’re looking for a simple Vitamin C serum you can finally finish and won’t break the bank, I think you’ll like this. Just use it with a moisturizer or serum with ferulic acid, so you can supercharge it even more!
Who Is This For?
Dry and normal skin types looking for a L-Ascorbic Acid serum they can actually finish before it goes bad.
Who Is This NOT For?
- Oily skin: L-Ascorbic Acid may cause breakouts
- Sensitive skin: L-Ascorbic Acid may irritate skin
Packaging
A small, UV-tinted bottle with a dropper applicator. It’s practical and travel-friendly.
Does Vichy LiftActiv Vitamin C Brightening Skin Corrector Live Up To Its Claims?
CLAIMTRUE?In 10 days, skin is brighter, complexion looks rested, fresher and more radiant.True.More Vitamin C than in 20 oranges.May be true, but it means nothing. Putting orange juice on your skin won’t give you brighter skin. It’ll only irritate it! Why? Pure oranges contain L-Ascorbic Acid, but also a bunch of fragranced components that irritate skin. Eating too many oranges doesn’t result in brighter looking skin, either. The claim sounds impressive, but you can’t really compare L-Ascorbic Acid to an orange.Hypoallergenic, minimalistic formula, no perfume, no silicone.Mostly true. But hypoallergic doesn’t mean anything. There is no regulation that says what products can use this claim. You can pack a product with irritants and still call it hypoallergenic.Efficacy proven under dermatological control.What does this mean? How were these tests done? Where the results impressive or did they show only a marginal improvement?Price & Availability
$28.50/£28.00 at Dermstore, Escentual, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, and Ulta
Do You Need It?
If you’re tired of buying Vitamin C serums that go bad before you can finish them, you’ll like this.
Dupes & Alternatives
- MaeLove The Glow Maker ($27.95)
- Paula’s Choice C15 Booster ($49.00)
- Skinceuticals CE Ferulic ($166.00)
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Ingredients
Aqua/ Water, Ascorbic Acid, Alcohol Denat., Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Laureth-23, Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Pinus Pinaster Bark/ Bud Extract