Have you tried Ordinary Vitamin C and Retinol and used PSF?
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free skin care · Wed May 08, 2019 1:56 am

Well this Ordinary stuff is getting rave reviews.
I'm most interested in Vitamin C and the Retinol (I just watched the Caroline Hirons dedicated video to the latter, to see which of the 6 may be most suitable for me)

I was about to order some PSF but very tempted. Being in the UK, the Ordinary stuff would be here in a day or two. And it seems a fair bit cheaper (though of course will be a waste of money if I don't like it, and I love PSF vitamin C and Retinol)

Any feedback if you've tried both brands?

Wed May 08, 2019 5:58 am

Hi, although I had been using a 25% vit c for some time, I found TO 30% in silicon really stung my skin and does so neat even after six months, so I use it every other night mixed with TO resveratrol and ferulic acid and one drop of pycnogenol to enhance absorption.

Again, after using Isotrex i moved to TO 5% in squalane and six months later still find this too strong for my oily skin so have settled for 2% granactive retinol in emulsion again with a drop of pycnogenol, every other night.

I think at the prices it's well worth experimenting with the various TO alternatives available.

free skin care · Sat May 11, 2019 7:13 am

When the Ordinary first came out, I went crazy and purchased practically one of everything. I wouldn’t repurchase now. Most of their formulation is pretty simple, and I didn’t feel the products were as effective as other brands I’ve tried. I actually spent more money buying the Ordinary as most of their products are one trick ponies that I had to cocktail, as opposed to buying one product with multiple benefits. If you’re curious, I’d try one or two products to see how you feel but because each item seems so cheap, you can end up buying a hundred dollars worth easily. I have not used PSF in years but would rather buy Sunday Riley or Shunli’s.

free skin care · Sun May 26, 2019 5:31 am

I agree with skincareaddicted. I jumped on the Ordinary bandwagon too. Their low prices were very tempting. But it's true their products only feature one key ingredient. So you have to buy multiple bottles & layer them to get a full skincare routine. In the end I believe it is more costly, as well as time consuming applying layers of multiple products. I also felt like their products "built up" on my face. Like my pores couldn't breathe!

I never tried Sunday Riley or Shunli. But I've been using PSF vitamin c serum for years & I always go back to it, as it's become a staple in my routine. It's such a clean formula & delivers immediate results. When I run out if I don't repurchase within 2 weeks, my skin starts to become dull & dry looking and my under eye crepiness comes back. So I've started purchasing 2 bottles whenever they are on sale & I keep the backup bottle in the fridge until I need it. I have accidentally pushed a bottle of the PSF into the back of my garage fridge & found it over a year later & it was perfectly clear & like brand new!

free skin care · Wed May 29, 2019 12:33 am

has anyone tried eating vitamin c orally for better skin? wonder if that works

free skin care · Sun Jul 07, 2019 8:55 pm

been eating vitamin c for the past 2 mths.
skin is improving actually, not sure if its due to the vitamin c or the new toner i bought. Smile

maybe its both, but anyway extra vitamin c can't hurt!

Sun Jul 28, 2019 7:54 pm

daisylondon wrote:

Well this Ordinary stuff is getting rave reviews.
I'm most interested in Vitamin C and the Retinol (I just watched the Caroline Hirons dedicated video to the latter, to see which of the 6 may be most suitable for me)

I was about to order some PSF but very tempted. Being in the UK, the Ordinary stuff would be here in a day or two. And it seems a fair bit cheaper (though of course will be a waste of money if I don't like it, and I love PSF vitamin C and Retinol)

Any feedback if you've tried both brands?

I have been using PSF for about 13 years. I love the C Serum and the Retinol Nite Repair. (I also use O2 Rescue, Berry Beneficial, Bio-Copper, Prolatogen, the natural deodorant, etc.)

I am not sure which PSF retinol you have been using. I personally loved the Retinol Nite Repair and am devastated that it has been discontinued. I never liked the PSFPro Nanosomal Retinol Gel (which also appears to have been discontinued) due to the silicone base. I have not tried the new PSF Retinol NanoSerum and never will since I do not tolerate squalene on my skin. (The Fullerene-C60 component interests me but I cannot force my pores to tolerate squalene!)

I have tried most of The Ordinary (and NIOD, which is also by Deciem but much more expensive) lines last year. I do not agree with the above comments about single active formulations being less valuable since that is exactly what we are discussing with respect to PSF. But I ended up not repurchasing, even with the cost savings.

In my case, it was because the products did not have the lovely textures and ultra clean ingredient lists that PSF provides.

All of the water based serums I tried were sticky and pilled. They did not layer well and actually often "foamed" on my face. They are full of unnecessary chemicals. (A vitamin C I tried in this category is the Ascorbyl Glucoside 12%.)

I tried The Ordinary Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15%, which is supposed to be less irritating but just as effective as regular ascorbic acid. Again, I hated the base, so I could not use the product long enough to tell you if it works as well as PSF.

It (along with many of their other actives) are delivered in pure propanediol. Propanediol is 1,3-propylene glycol (a solvent classified as a skin irritant). Some skin care companies are trying to push propanediol as being good for the skin if it is derived from corn. Sorry folks, but it is just another glycol! Solvents help actives penetrate, but I prefer products without them.

The propanediol just sat on top of my skin and felt heavy. I hated it so much, I felt the need to wash it off almost right away. I have oily/combination skin, but my caregiver has dry skin and he did not like the pure propanediol either. I gave everything I bought in this base away. (15% Ethylated Ascorbic Aid, 5% ALA, EUK 0.1%, etc.)

The retinols/retinoids are all in squalane (with other solvents, etc.). I tried the 2 and 5% Granactive Retinoid, but gave them both away as well.

If these bases work for you, you could certainly give them a try.

Sidebar: I rarely put too much faith in influencers. They are given most of their products free of charge and tend to rave about one brand one week but move on to another by the next. Even the ones I trust (e.g. Wayne Goss) are very fickle.

free skin care · Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:46 am

I'm using the 2% retinol right now as the higher percentages are too drying for me. So,far I like it, too soon to see any real results yet.

Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:42 am

I love PSF

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