PRODUCT REVIEW: DRUNK ELEPHANT C-FIRMA FRESH DAY SERUM - BEST VITAMIN C SERUM, BEST BRIGHTENING SERUM
DRUNK ELEPHANT | C-FIRMA FRESH DAY SERUM
This product review was originally part of my blog article titled, The Best Fresh Activated Vitamin C Serums To Get Your Complexion Lit In The New Year. You can catch the full piece here.
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As I write this, it’s the second of January in the year 2022. Just putting that into words sounds futuristic, feels like I made it to the future intact.
I imagined seemingly unimaginable years like 2022 as a kid and really believed I’d be out roaming around in space by now like the crew of the Starship Enterprise.
Growing up in an entirely earthbound place like Connecticut, I was always gazing at the stars. And, I was the biggest Star Trek fan. Okay, maybe the second biggest; my best friend Susan was even more passionate about the iconic, futuristic TV show.
Truthfully, I lived and breathed Star Trek. I went to Star Trek conventions. Collected Star Trek memorabilia. Had autographed glossy stills of all the lead Star Trek actors and actresses, including William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) and Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Uhura).
On Halloween, I often went out trick or treating dressed as Spock, showing up at our neighbors’ front doors with my pointy ears and plastic pumpkin basket for collecting candy. In my high school yearbook, in the ultimate assertion of my own deep sense of individuality and my unique place in the world, I quoted the ship’s doctor, Dr. McCoy:
“In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million earth-type planets...and in all the universe, three million million galaxies like this one. And in all of that, and perhaps more, only one of each of us.”
I was a classic, sci-fi nerd, into science and astronomy. Chemistry was one of my favorite classes in high school, though I don’t recall being a star student in science; there were so many others who were far smarter than I. Language was my true strength.
Funny, all these years later, I found myself defending the lifelong Star Trek fan in me at brunch with friends yesterday, New Year’s Day.
What was it about Star Trek that you were so into? they probed. Isn’t it just a science fiction show?
I explained how, even though it’s serious science fiction, Star Trek represented so much more than mere fiction to me. It was representative of the most positive outcome of the future possible. I grew up knowing that at any time, the Soviet Union could launch a nuclear war. When faced with a particularly challenging task like a book report or presentation in front of the class, I often wondered if it wouldn’t even be necessary. Nuclear war would certainly preclude that.
Star Trek meant we had survived our own worst instincts. And, it appears that we have…
The skincare stuff starts here.
When I imagine what kind of skincare would be available on the USS Enterprise, of course it would be fresh made by the ship’s replicator:
“Computer, make me a pore-clarifying mask with 3.5% Salicylic Acid in a clay base. Then, make me a water-based brightening serum with 15% Ascorbic Acid, 10% Niacinamide and 5% Alpha Arbutin.”
And it would suddenly appear. Freshly activated, single use, maximum potency.
As I’ve said, there are two ingredients that I wish everyone on Earth (and on starships!) would incorporate into their own daily skincare routines — Vitamin C and Vitamin B3, or Niacinamide. Both are indispensable antioxidants — and much, much more. In the case of a good Vitamin C treatment, it can be one of the best anti-aging serums in your arsenal. Yes, like sunscreen, antioxidants are anti-aging. And you can’t get enough of them in your skincare — and in your skin.
What Are Antioxidants and What Do Antioxidants Do for Skin?
Antioxidants like Vitamin C, Niacinamide, and Ferulic Acid possess numerous benefits for the skin, including preventing skin damage and the multiple signs of aging that can result. There’s an excellent article from the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, How Antioxidants Fight the Signs of Aging that you can catch here. Following is what I found most relevant:
Antioxidants for Skin Benefits
Antioxidants play a unique role when it comes to diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Years of environmental damage (including unprotected sun exposure—one more reason to apply that broad-spectrum sunscreen!) slowly chip away at skin’s natural ability to look and feel healthy. As this damage builds up, skin gradually loses its ability to recover and bounce back as it once did. It’s not an exaggeration to say that after years of damage, skin becomes overwhelmed, and its “look young systems” begin to slow down.
Antioxidants in skin care step in to help shield skin’s surface from further deterioration by calming stressed skin and defending against the visible effects of pollution —something all of us encounter on a daily basis.
What happens as a result of applying antioxidants to your face is truly impressive: Skin’s appearance begins to turn around! It regains a firmer feel and more even skin tone—and those wrinkles you’re probably not fond of will visibly soften.
Antioxidants for Your Skin: What Results You Can Expect?
Although we know that topical application of antioxidants in skin care helps to shield skin from ongoing environmental assault, the results aren't going to make you look 20 years younger—and they may take time to show up. Reality check: The claims attributed to these wonderful ingredients are more often than not overblown or a big stretch of what scientific research has shown to be true.
It’s best to think of antioxidants as part of a trifecta of beneficial ingredients you can use in skin care products to achieve and maintain visibly firmer, youthful-looking skin. Antioxidants should be joined by skin-replenishing ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin plus a range of skin-restoring ingredients like retinol, peptides, and niacinamide. Together, these types of ingredients play a symphony your skin needs to hear—and you’ll love seeing the results every time you look in the mirror.
The trick is to be consistent with your skincare routine and make absolutely sure you’re protecting your skin from sun exposure every day with a broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater—and of course, it should be brimming with antioxidants, your skin’s new best friend.
The Best Vitamin C Serums and Face Creams
Until very recently, Vitamin C was perhaps the most under-appreciated of all skincare ingredients. Mainly because it seemed to be old news. And skincare marketers don’t push what’s old; they spend their marketing dollars on what’s new, fresh, sexy and innovative — whether it works or not. Their job is to make you believe what they’re pushing is valuable to you.
In addition to its un-sexiness, antioxidant Vitamin C is also really tough to formulate with. Until recently, it’s been nearly impossible to keep high concentrations of Vitamin C stable in a skincare formula. The truly effective levels weren’t possible. Until you get to 10% or more, you don’t really get the additional power-brightening, collagen-building benefits that Vitamin C has to offer. Fresh activation of Vitamin C assures maximum potency of the otherwise unstable active.
In the fall of 2021, I published my latest article on my favorite Vitamin C serums of the year in a piece titled, My Top Vitamin C Picks FW21: New Vitamin C Serums I’m Crushing on from Algenist, Naturium, Goop Glow and More – which you can catch here. It was a collection of some of the best Vitamin C serums, best brightening face oils, and best dark spot treatments of the year.
MY TOP VITAMIN C PICKS FW21: NEW VITAMIN C SERUMS I’M CRUSHING ON FROM ALGENIST, NATURIUM, GOOP & MORE
Among my top picks were some of my favorite brightening Vitamin C serums all these months later. Among my favorites is the Algenist Blue Algae Vitamin C Skinclarity Brightening Serum. With a proprietary form of Vitamin C called Blue C, the Blue Algae Vitamin C Skinclarity serum is such a pleasure to use that I’ve been through a half dozen bottles of it since it launched last summer.
During 2021, I became a fan of the newest democratically priced skincare brand, Naturium. The brand’s Vitamin C Complex Serum is a really well-formulated Vitamin C serum with a smart blend of pro-skin health actives. And it’s just $20, making it super accessible to most people in the market for a solid Vitamin C product. Catch my review of the Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum on the blog here.
PRODUCT REVIEW: NATURIUM VITAMIN C COMPLEX SERUM - BEST VITAMIN C SERUM, BEST BRIGHTENING SERUM
Another of my brand crushes for 2021 is the clinical, professional dermatologist brand, Replenix. The Replenix Vitamin C Pro Collagen Serum is a silky, dry oil infused with a 20% combination of three forms of Vitamin C: Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, and Ascorbic Acid — the purest form of Vitamin C.
The brand’s Vitamin C Pro Collagen Serum is perhaps one of the best anti-aging facial oils I’ve come across. It has the power to address a multitude of skin aging concerns and has become a staple in my evening routine. I’m beginning to run low on it and experiencing a serious case of #fomo. You can’t catch my review of the Replenix Vitamin C Pro Collagen Serum on the blog here.
PRODUCT REVIEW: REPLENIX VITAMIN C PRO COLLAGEN SERUM - BEST BRIGHTENING SERUM FOR DRY SKIN
What Does Vitamin C Do for Skin?
There’s an excellent article on the remarkable benefits of Vitamin C for the skin from the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, What is Vitamin C and How Does it Benefit Skin?
Vitamin C is one of the most exciting, research-proven ingredients you can apply to skin. This water-soluble antioxidant is a natural component of healthy skin. When we’re young, vitamin C levels in skin’s outermost two layers (epidermis and dermis) are abundant, but as we age, these levels naturally deplete. Unprotected sun exposure (UV damage) and pollution can accelerate this decline, leading to skin looking and feeling dull, uneven, and less firm than it once was.
Luckily, there are topical skin care solutions that can help mitigate this damage, so skin looks and feels healthier and younger longer.
Vitamin C Benefits for Skin
Vitamin C’s benefits for skin are vast, including its ability to even out skin tone and diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. While this powerhouse ingredient is well-known for its skin-brightening benefits, research also shows it can shield skin from the visible impacts of environmental stressors, including free radical damage. This synergy of mitigating problems both before and after they occur makes vitamin C a force to be reckoned with.
When and How to Use Vitamin C in Your Skin Care Routine
All forms of vitamin C mix well and layer with other skin care ingredients, including exfoliating acids and other vitamins and antioxidants, such as retinol and niacinamide (11, 12).
Vitamin C can be used twice daily, both morning and night. After cleansing, toning and exfoliating, apply the rest of your products in order from thinnest to thickest texture (commonly: serum, moisturizer, treatments). During the day, always finish with a moisturizer with broad-spectrum SPF 30 or greater.
WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW
MY 2021 VITAMIN C PICKS + THE BEST VITAMIN C SERUMS TO BRIGHTEN UP THE COMPLEXION!
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE
Which brings me to my newest collection of the best Vitamin C serums — the freshly activated ones; the ones you’d obtain from the Enterprise replicator. I’ve identified three standouts. Again, fresh activation of Vitamin C assures maximum potency of the unstable active.
The first of these is the new Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum. You may be wondering, C-Firma isn’t new. And you would be correct. Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma has, in fact, been around for years. But in 2021, the brand reformulated and repositioned their star Vitamin C serum as a freshly activated upgrade. And it’s exceptional.
Second is a true Vitamin C classic for me. I’ve included the Clinique Fresh Pressed Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10% on the blog several times over the years. It’s certainly stood the test of time and was the first fresh-activated Vitamin C serum I experienced. As you’ll see below, I think it’s among the best anti-aging serums for face on the face of the earth. It’s much more than a Vitamin C-powered brightening serum.
And last is the goop beauty GOOPGLOW 20% Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Glow Serum. When I first cracked this baby open on a trip to Cancun in October and combined its two components, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In the weeks since, I’ve recognized it as a uniquely compelling addition to the hundreds of Vitamin C serums on the market today. I haven’t had the chance to experience much from goop beauty just yet, but if the GOOPGLOW 20% Vitamin C is any indication of the quality of the brand’s products, it’s a great indicator of excellence.
With the understanding that Vitamin C can be a real game changer for your skin health (and your complexion!), let’s take a look at the new Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum — one of the best brightening serums for getting your complexion lit in the new year…
Drunk Elephant | C-Firma Fresh Day Serum
You could be mistaken for not recognizing that the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is a new product. Introduced in 2021, the brand reformulated and repositioned its iconic original C-Firma Vitamin C serum to be freshly activated. Like so many Drunk Elephant fans, I loved the original and never imagined it could (or should!) be improved upon.
Over the years, I’ve come across numerous Drunk Elephant products that I love and consider among the best skincare products in my arsenal. Among these is Drunk Elephant’s Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum, one of the best exfoliating serums for sensitive skin.
In addition to a 10% concentration of Lactic Acid, the Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum formula contains eleven signal peptides, rather blandly referred to as a Signal Peptide Complex. (Psst…signal peptides can help teach damaged skin to rebuild itself by relocating proteins in the cell membrane.) There are also multiple amino acids in the formula — as well as a number of powerful antioxidants.
DRUNK ELEPHANT PROTINI POWERPEPTIDE RESURFACING SERUM - BEST EXFOLIATING SERUM
But it’s the texture of the Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum for me ! It’s a super light, semi-translucent serum that’s quite easily layered into any skincare routine. You can catch my review of it on the blog here.
So I was naturally excited to try the new freshly activated Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum! It’s powered by a 15% concentration of pure Ascorbic Acid, combined with Vitamin C’s two favorite stabilizers, Ferulic Acid and Vitamin E.
If you’re a fan of Vitamin C serums, you likely know that the OG of all Vitamin C serums is the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Antioxidant Serum. As I recall, when it was first introduced nearly two decades ago, C E Ferulic was the most potent Vitamin C serum on the market. The brand’s chemists patented a means of stabilizing Vitamin C. And, as the name indicates, the Ascorbic Acid in the formula is bookended by both Ferulic Acid and Vitamin E in the form of Alpha Tocopherol — both of which help to keep Vitamin C stable in a destabilizing water base.
What Is Ferulic Acid and Does Vitamin C Need Ferulic Acid?
For the answers to those questions I turn to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team. They go in depth on the derivations of Ferulic Acid and its exceptional benefits for the skin — and for stabilizing Vitamin C in a skincare formula.
Here are their most important insights…
Ferulic Acid is an “antioxidant that helps defend skin from the signs of sun damage and environmental assault
Improves stability and efficacy of other antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E
Research indicates ferulic acid can help inhibit discolorations
Naturally found in plants, such as bran and bamboo
As a raw material, ferulic acid is supplied as a crystalline powder
Ferulic Acid Description
Ferulic acid is a phenolic antioxidant (a type that intercepts damaging hydrogen radicals) that is naturally found in bran and bamboo shoots, among other plants. Research has shown that it provides its own benefits to skin while also enhancing the stability of other antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, when paired with them.
Of note, ferulic acid plays a significant photoprotective role, which is one of the reasons it’s a welcome addition in sunscreen formulations.
Research also indicates that it has the ability to inhibit certain triggers of skin discolorations, making ferulic acid a nice complement to products that are intended for evening skin tone. In general, it also helps defend skin against environmental assault.
Ferulic acid can be used in the types of high concentration chemical peels available in a dermatologist/esthetician setting, where it is usually combined with other acids, such as lactic, to address signs of photoaging. Ferulic acid’s soothing properties are believed to help reduce potential skin-irritating side effects of such peels.
As a raw material, ferulic acid comes as a crystalline powder that is insoluble in water at room temperature but reaches solubility in higher water temps. It is also soluble in other types of solvents.
Ferulic acid is shown to be most effective at boosting the results from other antioxidants when used in concentrations of 0.5% or greater. It is typically not used above 1%, as doing so can impart an undesirable color to a skin care formula.”
Like the goop beauty GOOPGLOW 20% Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Glow Serum, the C-Firma Fresh Day Serum comes packaged with two separate components — one a liquid, one a powder. You simply pour the liquid into the powder and give it a brisk shake.
And like Clinique’s Fresh Pressed Daily Booster, it’s much more than a straight up Vitamin C serum. In addition to the Ferulic Acid and Vitamin E, there are numerous antioxidant botanical extracts that boost the protective benefits of the new C-Firma formula. I love, too, that a fermented active in the form of Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract is ingredient number seven. It’s intriguing and should be quite nourishing for the skin.
Further down the INCI is Drunk Elephant’s signature Marula Oil (Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil) and an additional skin brightener in the form of Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract — one of the best brightening actives for use in skincare according to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team.
Once activated, the C-Firma Fresh Day Serum has this unusual bubbly texture that reminds me of champagne. According to the brand, “Bubbles will form—that’s OK!”
It’s super lightweight and watery, making it easily layered into any skincare routine. I’ve used the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum twice daily for multiple consecutive days at a time and have seen no irritation. Just brighter, better looking skin!
What I like about it: The Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is a surprising improvement on what I believed to already be a near-perfect C-Firma formula (I’ll leave perfection to Mother Nature). I love the texture and its supreme layer-ability.
What I don’t like about it: Like the other freshly activated Vitamin C serums in my lineup, it’s relatively costly at $78 for just under an ounce (.94 oz.).
Who it’s for: All skin types, even oily and acne-prone skins.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum for $78 here.
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The Ingredient List of the Drunk Elephant C-Firma™ Fresh Day Serum:
aox|sb|buff, Laureth-23 emu|surf 0 3, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Tocopherol 
aox 0-3 0-3, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract exf, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil emo, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate so|h, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract so|sb, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice Extract exf|aox, Ferulic Acid aox|amic, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract h, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract aox|so, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract exf, Propanediol solv|h, Gluconolactone exf|chel, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer sii|aox|h, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole cci, Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane aox|sb|so, Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane aox|sb|so, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane aox|sb|so, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Caprylhydroxamic Acid chel, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate amic|pres, Sorbic Acid pres, Phenoxyethanol pres, Sodium Benzoate pres, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract h|vc, Ethylhexylglycerin presThe Ingredient List of the Clinique Fresh Pressed Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%:
aox|sb|buff, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Dipropylene Glycol solv, Acetyl Glucosamine sii|sb, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract so|emo, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract emo, Morus Nigra (Mulberry) Root Extract, Molasses Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract so|aox|amic|h, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 cci|h, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract so|aox|h, Algae Extract emo|h, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12 cci, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 cci, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 cci, Alcaligenes Polysaccharides emo|h|vc, Caffeine aox|perf, Sucrose h|so, Whey Protein cci, Betaine h, Salicylic Acid exf|aacne|so|pres, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Protein emu, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Sigesbeckia Orientalis (St. Paul'S Wort) Extract, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane emo|h|surf, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate emo, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake abrasive/scrub, Allyl Methacrylates Crosspolymer vc, Carbomer vc 0 1, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate vc, Tromethamine buff, Xanthan Gum vc, Potassium Sorbate pres, PEG-8 h|solv, Polysorbate 20 emu|surf 0 0, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Disodium EDTA chel, Phenoxyethanol presThe Ingredient List of the goop beauty GOOPGLOW 20% Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Glow Serum:
aox|sb|buff, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Propanediol solv|h, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract aox|sb, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Ferulic Acid aox|amic, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract perf, Ziziphus Jujuba Seed Extract, Levan, Decyl Glucoside surf, Galactoarabinan aox, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Xylitol h, Caprylic Acid surf|emu|perf 3 1, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Citric Acid buff, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Potassium Sorbate pres, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo
