There are two defining beauty moments I can recall during my years of testing skincare in my job as a beauty editor. The first is my skin before discovering SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum. The second is after trying SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum. Way back when I was an intern, every beauty editor I knew swore by the £165 elixir, which is filled with a complexion-boosting, brightening and glowing cocktail of vitamin C, ferulic acid and vitamin E. Put it this way: it was the product most likely to disappear under mysterious circumstances from beauty cupboards in the magazine offices I worked in.
After going through a couple of bottles, I can confidently say its my favourite serum of all time, hands down. Which is a shame for my bank balance, as £165 is way, way out of my budget, and if it weren’t for my job where I get to test beauty products for a living, I’d be very hesitant at dropping that amount of money on a serum if I had never tried it before.
So when I tried Beauty Pie’s Superdose Vitamin C C-Suite Rapid Action Power Brightener Serum, I was shocked that its effects mirrored the results I’d seen when using SkinCeuticals. But with a price tag of just £17 for Beauty Pie members (or £100 for non-members). Read on for my honest review of Beauty Pie’s Superdose Vitamin C Serum.
What I love about this serum is that it gives both long term and instantaneous results. Upon contact on the skin, it delivers a glow with a capital G. But after using a a month, I can see a visible difference in the acne scarring and pigmentation in my skin, which is no doubt down to the winning combination of ingredients that work to brighten and lend the skin a healthy glow.
The serum contains a cocktail of ingredients that helps to address a number of skin concerns, including:
15% Vitamin C: From helping to brighten pigmentation and dark spots to boosting skin elasticity and fending off free radicals, this is a powerhouse skincare ingredient.
Tranexamic Acid: Works to address sun damage while calming and smoothing the skin.
Ferulic Acid: An antioxidant that works in tandem with the other ingredients to brighten the skin.
The texture itself is very lightweight and watery, meaning it sinks in quickly and can be layered nicely underneath your moisturiser and SPF. You’ll also find vitamin C and ferulic acid in SkinCeuticals C E ferulic serum, however, Beauty Pie’s doesn’t have the addition of vitamin E, but it does have tranexamic acid.
As someone with combination skin that is prone to acne and sensitivity, I’ve experienced no problems using this serum. I’m prone to breakouts, which often leave behind stubborn scarring, but I found that Beauty Pie’s serum helped to clear the pigmentation fast. It has also helped fade the pigmentation I experience during the summer months.
Genuinely, the results I’ve seen from using this serum are on par with the benefits I’ve seen of using SkinCeutical’s C E Ferulic serum. It gives my skin an immediate healthy glow, and I’ve noticed my complexion is even-toned and bouncy since using this. In short, I’d say this serum is worth trying at the member’s price of £17. While the non-member price is much steeper (£100) it’s still a considerable difference from SkinCeuticals £165 price tag. I wouldn’t say this product is a “dupe”, as the ingredients are different, and I think its a great product in its own right, but the results I’ve seen are brilliant.
Pros: Affordable, brightening, sophisticated formula, suitable for most skin types
Cons: Need to be a member for discounted price, more expensive for non-members
Want to know what some of the other best vitamin C serums are? Scroll ahead for some of my favourites.
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