Vitamin c serum for someone with acne skin?
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Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:45 am

I use epiduo for my acne and that's pretty much all I use right now except for cleanser and moisturizer. I'm a little hesitant to add something new in the fear of it causing breakouts, being too oily or perhaps doing something to the epiduo. But i've heard vitamin c is awesome for your skin and that it also might help even out my skin tone since i have a few red marks here and there from acne breakouts.

Doing my research so far, I have two vitamin c serums in mind: the psf vitamin c serum and kiehls line reducing concentrate. The psf has a higher concentration at 15% (kiehls has 10.5). The only beef i have with the psf one is that it requires you to open up the whole bottle exposing it to more air than the kiehls, which uses a pump and stays closed. So I'm afraid that that might make it unusable before i finish it. And then there's the obvious issue of the possibility of either products causing breakouts. Does anyone with acne have experience in vitamin c products? I thought kiehls was a popular brand and i know that the line reducing concentrate is a popular product, but I havent found a lot of opinion about the product.

and another question; the description for the psf says that it "may be stored in a refrigerator". do vitamin c serums last longer when stored in a fridge or is it just the psf product that is like that?

free skin care · Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:02 am

From what I see the PSF is oil, and glycerin free where kiehls does have glycerin which is notorious for some in causing breakouts. PSF has a full disclosure on the site of all the ingredients, kiehls does not?

Many who DIY our C serums keep it either in a dark cool place of refrigerate, light and heat oxidize vit. c as much as air.

If it were me I would opt for the PSF...JMHO. Smile

Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:03 am

thanks for your reply. these are the ingredients for the kiehls product: Propylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Lauroyl Lysine, Acrylates Copolymer, Adenosine.

isnt glycerin a very common product in moisturizers? I use cerave moisturizing lotion and that is glycerin based. would the kiehls also be a good choice in my case then? or is oil and glycerin free better? again, it's just that im really wary of the bottle design of the psf serum. all the postings i read on vitamin c always point out how unstable it is..

free skin care · Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:46 am

epete22 wrote:

thanks for your reply. these are the ingredients for the kiehls product: Propylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Lauroyl Lysine, Acrylates Copolymer, Adenosine.

isnt glycerin a very common product in moisturizers? I use cerave moisturizing lotion and that is glycerin based. would the kiehls also be a good choice in my case then? or is oil and glycerin free better? again, it's just that im really wary of the bottle design of the psf serum. all the postings i read on vitamin c always point out how unstable it is..

Stability is an issue with LAA, but you have Ferulic Acid in the PSF formulation which does help with that issue to an extant.

I have used CeraVe and to me it is light and sinks in so I have a feeling the glycerin is low on it's list?

What I see in the Kiehls is it is pretty high up on the list of ingredients.

I have never had an issue with breakouts, and make my own C serum so I am only going by what others have reported with glycerin!

Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:49 am

i didn't notice it before but glycerin is actually second, after water. i thought that cerave used something else but i must have been confusing it with something else. i know you said you make your own, but do you know anything about a sample size of the psf? i've heard some people on here mention it, but it's not sold on the website or anything..

free skin care · Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:02 am

epete22 wrote:

i didn't notice it before but glycerin is actually second, after water. i thought that cerave used something else but i must have been confusing it with something else. i know you said you make your own, but do you know anything about a sample size of the psf? i've heard some people on here mention it, but it's not sold on the website or anything..

I am not sure if people received it as a sample with an order at EDS, or if PSF offers samples on the website. Sorry I can't be of more help!

free skin care · Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:44 am

You should look into niacinamide. Studies have shown, at 5%, it's effective at reducing acne and redness. There are some products EDS sells with niacinamide, but aside from NIA24, they don't mention how much niacinamide they contain and they're all pretty expensive.

You can buy 1 oz of it for about $5 so maybe you could DIY as they are a lot of serum recipes out there.

free skin care · Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:54 am

onmyboat wrote:

You should look into niacinamide. Studies have shown, at 5%, it's effective at reducing acne and redness. There are some products EDS sells with niacinamide, but aside from NIA24, they don't mention how much niacinamide they contain and they're all pretty expensive.

You can buy 1 oz of it for about $5 so maybe you could DIY as they are a lot of serum recipes out there.

Keliu has a very nice niacinamide serum, reposting...

Keliu wrote:

It's very easy to make your own Niacinamide serum. It's also supposed to be beneficial to pair it with Glucosamine. My recipe is:

VERSION B – Oct 4/09

G & N Serum 1oz/30ml

5 tsp. Distilled water
3 ml Dimethyl Isosorbide(for penetration (10%)
½ tsp. Glucosamine (5%)
¼ tsp. Niacinamide (2.5%)
1 tsp. Glycerin

All of the above can be purchased from Bulkactives.

Product details

Solubility: water

Suggested percentage:4% to 5% (4% Glucosamine with 2% Niacinamide)
Storage: Cool, dry place. Do not freeze. Keep away from light and moisture!
Country of origin: India
Manufacturer's data: Niacinamide COA

The Olay products are always highly recommended by people in the beauty industry. I tried the Regenerist cream, but then I got worried it might be blocking my pores. My skin doesn't tolerate creams very well, so I mainly use serums and oils).

You will find many great recipes in the recipe index here:

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=11902

free skin care · Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:21 am

Agree with onmyboat. B3 for acne is extremely helpful.

Vit C DIY kit #1
on the right side you can find it
Vit C DIY kit #2
Smartskincare.com
..some things to look for.

Barefacedtruth.com
Info on crap to avoid.

free skin care · Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:07 pm

Skinceuticals C with Phloretin is supposed to be good for those with acne.

Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:53 am

I second jom; Skinceuticals Phloretin CF does not cause breakouts. I have acne prone skin, and am currently using this serum.
Previously I have used Jan Marini C-Esta Serum Oil control, which is also safe for acne prone skin.

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