PRODUCT REVIEW: ALPHA-H VITAMIN C WITH GRAPE SEED SERUM - BEST VITAMIN C SERUM, BEST BRIGHTENING SERUM FOR DRY SKIN
ALPHA-H | VITAMIN C WITH GRAPE SEED SERUM
This product review was originally part of my blog article titled, My Top Vitamin C Picks Fw21: New Vitamin C Serums I’m Crushing on from Algenist, Naturium, Goop Glow and More. You can catch the full piece here.
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There are two ingredients that I wish everyone on Earth who’s serious about their skin health would incorporate into their own 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.
Back in my time working at Kiehl’s as the company’s first-ever copywriter, the marketers didn’t understand the value of antioxidants. In fact, no one really did. Antioxidants like Vitamin C were considered “preventable”; that is, they prevented signs of aging. They were marketed to young women in their 20s. As if everyone at every age isn’t interested in preventing signs of aging. We all know it can get worse!
What Are Antioxidants and What Do Antioxidants Do for Skin?
Antioxidants possess numerous benefits for the skin, including preventing skin damage and multiple signs of aging. 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. This is what I found most insightful:
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.
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 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 does.
Not so long ago, antioxidant Vitamin C was really tough to formulate with. It’s been nearly impossible to keep high levels of Vitamin C stable in a skincare formula. The truly effective levels weren’t possible. Until you get to ten percent or more, you don’t really get the power-brightening, collagen-building benefits that Vitamin C has to offer.
Right at the start of summer, I published my first article of the year on my favorite Vitamin C serums of 2021 in a piece titled, Collab with Antonio Jefferson Studio: New Vitamin C Serums I’m Crushing on from Wander Beauty, Glossier, Kat Burki and More – which you can catch here. It was a collection of the latest and greatest Vitamin C serums, brightening face oils, anti-aging lotions and I’d say, the best dark spot treatments out there.
COLLAB WITH ANTONIO JEFFERSON STUDIO: NEW VITAMIN C SERUMS I’M CRUSHING ON FROM WANDER BEAUTY, GLOSSIER, KAT BURKI & MORE
Among my top picks were some of my favorite brightening Vitamin C serums to this day, the turmeric-infused Beautycounter Counter+ All Bright C Serum, the Wander Beauty Sight C-er Vitamin C Concentrate and Glossier Super Glow Vitamin C + Magnesium Serum — one of the best Vitamin C serums for oily skin.
Also in the mix were the Kat Burki Retin-C Treatment Complex and Algenist Blue Algae Vitamin C Dark Spot Correcting Peel — a really wonderful brightening peel that’s perfect for reinvigorating your complexion on #selfcaresunday.
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
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 five of the best Vitamin C serums that I’ve been crushing on over the last several months.
Meet one of my top picks of Vitamin C serums for FW21…
ALPHA-H | Vitamin C With Grape Seed Serum
One of my most interesting brand discoveries of 2021 is an obscure Australian brand called ALPHA-H. I first got my hands on the brand’s four intriguing facial serums a few weeks ago and have been having fun incorporating them into my skincare routines.
The ALPHA-H Vitamin A Serum with 0.5% Retinol is an excellent anti-aging facial oil with Retinol. And the brand’s Vitamin B Serum with Niacinamide is a rich, velvety serum with Niacinamide, copper peptides and Chia Seed Oil — rich in omega-3 and 6 essential fatty acids that replenish skin and help to prevent trans-epidermal water loss.
But, of course, the one serum that stands out to me most is the ALPHA-H Vitamin C with Grape Seed Serum. It’s a simple, effective, skin-brightening and antioxidant-powered facial oil that’s a real pleasure to use.
Like the Replenix Vitamin C Pro Collagen Serum, the ALPHA-H Vitamin C with Grape Seed Serum is a facial oil rather than a water-based serum which means it’s best layered last in your routine — right before a face cream or heavier facial oil. Unlike the Replenix Vitamin C Pro Collagen Serum, it’s a richer wet oil best suited for dry or very dry skin.
The the ALPHA-H Vitamin C with Grape Seed Serum formula is powered by a potent antioxidant blend of Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Grape Seed Extract. Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, or 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is one of the most stable and potent forms of Vitamin C. It’s kind of the modern form of Vitamin C.
But what I really love about the ALPHA-H Vitamin C with Grape Seed Serum formula is the inclusion of a high concentration of Grapeseed Oil. It’s the third ingredient of twelve. Grapeseed Oil is one of the most potent antioxidant. anti-aging botanical extracts for use in skincare. When I see it on an INCI, and especially prominently, I get very, very excited.
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, Grapeseed Oil is one of the best ingredients for the skin. It is an “emollient, non-fragrant plant oil derived from the seeds of grapes. This plant oil has strong antioxidant properties and its low saturation gives it a thinner texture and less greasy feel compared to highly saturated oils such as coconut.”
The Best Brightening Serums
What Is Grapeseed Oil for Skin and Is Grapeseed Oil Good for Your Face?
I love this article I found on the Byrdie website titled, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Grapeseed Oil. It’s full of amazing insights into the unusual anti-aging, antioxidant oil. Here’s what I found most salient…
We all know that wine is basically the stuff of the gods—the fact that it's chock full of antioxidants is an added bonus. But it turns out other grape-derived ingredients are giving vino a run for its money, at least where skin health is concerned. Enter grapeseed oil, an all-natural product extracted from grape seeds after they've been used to make wine. Grapeseed has been a common ingredient in the wellness space for quite some time but in recent years, it's made its way to the skincare aisle, too.
To learn more about its benefits, we enlisted the help of Marisa Plescia, research scientist with clean beauty e-tailer NakedPoppy; as well as New York dermatologists Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York; and Hadley King, MD, clinical instructor of dermatology at Cornell University, to help explain all the benefits of this potent, multi-use oil. The facts don't lie, and as you'll see, this oil has a plethora of skin-aiding and preventative properties that pack a powerful punch.
What is Grapeseed Oil?
“Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, or grapeseed oil, is a lightweight oil that is extracted from the seeds of grapes and penetrates the skin quickly, leaving the skin soft, supple, and moisturized,” says Plescia. In short, it's a jack-of-all-trades ingredient that's light in texture and easily absorbs into the skin.
Largely known for its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, grapeseed oil also contains high amounts of omega fatty acids and vitamin E2—which makes it popular when it comes to formulating skincare. But grapeseed oil's real strength lies in its molecular structure.
“Polyphenol compounds in grapeseed oil, such as proanthocyanidins, are especially powerful antioxidants. Studies found that the antioxidant power of grapeseed proanthocyanidins is 20 times greater than that of vitamin E and 50 times greater than that of vitamin C,” says Plescia.
“The strong antioxidant capacities of grapeseed can help reduce the signs of aging, such as sun spots, fine lines, and wrinkles.”
The formula also contains humectant Sodium Hyaluronate, the salt form of Hyaluronic Acid as well as Citric Acid, which delivers a mild exfoliating benefit. A smallish amount of Licorice Root Extract helps to deliver a bit more skin brightening in addition to the high concentration of Vitamin C.
The ALPHA-H Vitamin C With Grape Seed Serum has a smooth, silky texture that nourishes and replenishes even the driest skin. A little goes a long way!
What I like about it: The ALPHA-H Vitamin C With Grape Seed Serum is a rich, replenishing facial oil ideal for dry or very dry skin and just about all skin types in the winter.
What I don’t like about it: Even though a little goes a long way, .5 oz or 15 mL is quite stingy for the price.
Who it’s for: Most skin types in the cold, but especially dry or very dry skins.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the ALPHA-H Vitamin C With Grape Seed Serum for $80 AUD here.
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The Ingredient List of the Algenist Blue Algae Vitamin C Skinclarity Brightening Serum:
sii|h 0 0, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Ascorbic Acid aox|sb|buff, Triheptanoin emo, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract 
so|h, C13-15 Alkane solv|emo, Parachlorella Beijerinckii Exopolysaccharides, Biosaccharide Gum-1 so|h, Bakuchiol cci|aox|amic, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract aox|h, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch h|vc, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract emo, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0-2, Curcuma Longa Root Extract aox|so|sb|perf, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Salicylic Acid exf|aacne|so|pres, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate vc, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Phycocyanin aox, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil 
amic|perf, Tanacetum Vulgare Extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate chel, Potassium Sorbate pres, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Phenoxyethanol pres, Sodium Salicylate pres, Linalool perf, Limonene perf|solvThe Ingredient List of the Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum:
sii|h 0 0, Propanediol solv|h, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate aox|aacne, Ascorbic Acid aox|sb|buff, Glutathione, Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract so|h, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract aox|sb, Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract, Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice so|h, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Carbomer vc 0 1, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Phenoxyethanol pres, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Citric Acid buff, Hydroxyethylcellulose vc, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Beta-Glucan so|h, Potassium Sorbate pres, Hexylene Glycol solv|emu|perf|surf 0-1 0-2, Sorbitol h 0 0, Xanthan Gum vc, Algin vc 4 4, Benzoic Acid pres, Sorbic Acid pres, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Sodium Benzoate pres, Disodium Phosphate buff, Gold col, Polysorbate 60 emu|surf, Sodium Phosphate buffThe 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|emoThe Ingredient List of the Replenix Vitamin C Pro Collagen Serum:
aox|sb, Cyclopentasiloxane emo|solv, Trimethylsiloxysilicate emo, Ascorbyl Glucoside aox|sb, Ascorbic Acid aox|sb|buff, Alpha-Arbutin aox|sb, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract h, Ascorbic Acid/Orange/Citrus Limon/Citrus Aurantifolia Polypeptides, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi (Bearberry) Leaf Extract aox|sb, Ascorbyl Palmitate aox 0 2, Purified Water solv, Orange Terpenes, Phospholipids sii|emo, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Retinyl Palmitate cci 1-3 1-3, Superoxide Dismutase aox, Ubiquinone (Coq-10) aox, Phenoxyethanol presThe Ingredient List of the ALPHA-H Vitamin C With Grape Seed Serum:
h, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid aox|sb, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract aox|amic, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Citric Acid buff, Phenoxyethanol pres, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 vc, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract so|sb, Sodium Bisulfite aox|pres
