PRODUCT REVIEW: BEAUTYCOUNTER COUNTER+ ALL BRIGHT C SERUM - BEST VITAMIN C SERUM, BEST BRIGHTENING SERUM
BEAUTYCOUNTER | COUNTER+ ALL BRIGHT C SERUM
I have only experienced a few products from clean skincare brand Beautycounter.
Among the first products I ever want to experience from a brand is always their Vitamin C serum. Because Vitamin C is among the most difficult ingredients to formulate with, it’s always a sign of how capable a brand’s formulator is — and whether the brand’s formulation philosophy is solid.
Plus, I just plain love Vitamin C serums. I’m not gonna lie!
I gotta say Beautycounter’s Counter+ All Bright C Serum is the complete package. It’s relatively well formulated (more on that in a minute). It’s an intriguing formula. It’s effective. And it’s a pleasure to use. In my experience, Vitamin C serums are rarely as unique as this one.
What stands out in the Counter+ All Bright C Serum is its distinct turmeric scent. I love the smell of the potent antioxidant that’s popular in Ayurvedic medicine and has been relied upon for 4,000 years for its multitude of health benefits. In skincare, turmeric, like Vitamin C, is a powerful skin brightener. Both are antioxidant superheroes and together they make a real power duo.
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 (1). 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 (2).
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 (3). 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 (4). This synergy of mitigating problems both before and after they occur makes vitamin C a force to be reckoned with.
The All Bright C Serum contains 2 forms of Vitamin C, amounting to a 10% total concentration. There’s also Vitamin-C rich Camu Camu Fruit Extract. I love all of this about the formula.
What I don’t love is the inclusion of multiple citrus oils: Bergamot Fruit Oil, Mandarin Orange Peel Oil, Orange Flower Oil and Orange Peel Oil. Why? They add zero benefit for the skin and can be sensitizing. It’s not as though the All Bright C Serum smells like oranges. The turmeric is way too overpowering.
There’s just so much good in Beautycounter’s Counter+ All Bright C Serum, I’m willing to overlook its flaws. If your skin is sensitive to fragrant plant oils you may want to avoid this one. If not, go for it!
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase Beautycounter Counter+ All Bright C Serum for $82 here.
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The Ingredient List of the Beautycounter Counter+ All Bright C Serum:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Propanediol, Bis-Glyceryl Ascorbate*, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate*, Pentylene Glycol, Coconut Alkanes, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract†, Curcumin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Phytic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Decanal, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Ionone, Ethyl Lactate, Vanillin, Isoamyl Acetate, Ethyl 2-Methylbutyrate, Methoxyphenylbutanone, Dec-9-en-2-one, Dimethylhydroxy Furanone, Ethyl Propionate, Ethyl Cinnamate, Hexenyl Acetate, Triethyl Citrate, Benzyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate. Citral+, Limonene+, Linalool+
