Finally, Vitamin C Happened to Me
Vitamin C is the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of Antioxidants. Vitamin C in all its forms has multiple benefits for the skin from protecting against free radical damage, improving cellular turnover, attacking hyperpigmentation, boosting collagen production, smoothing rough texture, and increasing skin’s firmness. Your favorite Blogger raves about it. Your favorite YouTuber has probably done a video about it. Your Instagram skin crush is probably slathering it on her face, neck, and chest as I’m writing this. King Kong honestly doesn’t have shit on Vitamin C.
But me and she?
Vitamin C and I have had a long, sordid, complicated history. Rarely have I used a Vitamin C or “Brightening” serum that hasn’t left me with cystic acne the next day. I’m not talking about baby whiteheads that can happen when your skin starts to purge a little and are easy to camouflage with a bit of foundation. I’m talking about those large deep, red, hard, throbbing, pulsating papules that take days to surface and weeks to heal. The kind that have their own heartbeat and taunt you in the night like “The Tell-Tale Heart”. I’ve used all the products; serums, powders, toners, lotions, creams. Either there was no demonstrable difference or my face reverted back to the seventh grade leaving me in pain and tears. Once, after trying an evening Vitamin C treatment (mainly L-Ascorbic Acid), I awoke the next morning with a deep-seeded cyst on each cheek that eventually grew TWO HEADS A PIECE. It took three days for them to emerge so that I could safely extract them, a week to heal, and well over a month to fade the residual scarring. I’ve had allergic reactions to lavender that didn’t take as long to clear up. I vowed to my face that I would never, EVER, put it through that kind of trauma again and I swore off Vitamin C treatments for good…
Until now.
The Summer was a busy time of change and transition for me. I left the spa company I’d worked with for over a decade and started a new gig at a smaller but established company. A new company means I have had more than a few opportunities to try out products I was either unfamiliar with or only had casual knowledge of. One of those brands is EmerginC, a Brooklyn-based skin care company that specializes in natural, plant-based, as-close-to-organic-as-you-can-get products for the environmentally-minded consumer. I had sampled a few of their products last year and was very excited to learn more about them. EmerginC got their start in the mid-90s with the formulation of their signature Vitamin C serum. Over the years they have expanded their range to include products featuring unique ingredients like Kombucha and Spirulina while improving the formulations of their Vitamin C products. I got my hands on two of their Hero products and y’all… I’m in love. Allow me to introduce you to my new girlfriends:
EmerginC Vitamin C Serum ($83)
This daytime serum has three stabilized forms of Vitamin C (that are both water and fat-soluble) plus ginseng, Vitamin E, Vitamin F, and Allantoin (promotes healing and healthy skin cell formation). There’a also a hint of vegetable derived glycerin so it gives a nice dose of moisture that doesn’t clog my oily. clog-prone skin. This serum is best used under your moisturizer during the day to protect against free radical damage and the effects of UV Rays. Keep in mind that in order for Vitamin C to work effectively you HAVE TO USE SPF. No excuses, no exceptions! Using Vitamin C without regular SPF usage can actually increase hyperpigmentation and sun damage so lube up, people.
EmerginC Multi-Vitamin + Retinol Serum ($85)
I don’t know why it’s taken me over a decade in skin care to start using Retinol but I am big mad at myself for not starting sooner. Retinol, while extremely effective in improving texture, clarity, and tone in the skin, has a bad rep because it’s known for speeding up skin cell turnover to the point sensitivity, shedding, and excessive dryness can occur. EmerginC has formulated this serum with Vitamins B, C, E, F, & H as well as Licorice Root, Balm Mint, Green Tea, Chamomile, and Allantoin. All of these goodies help to nourish, moisturize, and protect the skin and boost the effectiveness of the Retinol. After ONE NIGHT my skin felt smoother, softer, and looked more radiant. After a week of use, my face and neck felt firmer and tighter and the tiny broken capillaries around my nose became far less noticeable. I haven’t felt a change in my skin this dramatic since The Ordinary’s Niacinamide + Zinc serum and if you don’t think I’m layering these bastards on top of each other each night before bed…
Though the instructions on the Multi-Vitamin + Retinol say it can be used day or night I HIGHLY recommend using it as a nighttime serum. Retinol has keratolytic properties meaning it speeds up cellular turnover and helps create new skin faster. This process can make the skin more susceptible to sun damage when exposed to UV Rays, even more so than Vitamin C serums. What does that mean, Kids? Right… YOU NEED TO USE SPF EVERY SINGLE DAMN DAY. Yes, I told you this already but it bears repeating. If you’re still looking for the right one for you, check out my favorite SPF picks right HERE.
If you’re like me and have had a rocky past with Vitamin C treatments or (like me) you have sensitive skin, these EmerginC serums are 100% worth a try. At $83 and $85 respectively, they are priced well-below the cost of other Vitamin C/Retinol serums on the market. In my opinion, both treatments are more effective than serums I’ve used that are more than twice the price. Remember, Vitamin C and other antioxidant serums are incredibly sensitive to light so be sure to store them in a cool, dark place to protect the efficacy of the product. Both serums layer beautiful over any Hyaluronic Acid moisture serum BUT avoid using with other active products with ingredients like Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, or other Alpha Hydroxy Acids. Pairing them with Retinol can cause irritation and spark a freak out and we don’t want that, do we? (By the way, I did that once by accident and my face tingled for 20 minutes… 1/15 DO NOT RECOMMEND. Nandi did that so hopefully you won’t have to go through that).
If you have any questions or want to know how these serums can work into your existing regimen, feel free to email me or hit me up on any of the social media links posted North, South, East, or West of this post.
Until next time…
Stay Beautiful 💖
