vit.C serum yellow coloured - to use or not to use?
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free skin care · Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:14 am

I`ve purchased samples of Skinceuticals 20AOX serum and it has deep yellow colour.
The seller insists it`s fresh & new, and I know Skinceuticals says it too - that their vit.C serums can have colour ranging from slighty yellow to dark yellow and it does not affect their effectiveness.
BUT I bought samples of Skinceuticals CE Ferulic and Phloretin before and they were clean, with probably slight yellow cast.

so - should I use it or not?
I wouldn`t want to do more harm than good using an old (oxidated) vit.C serum...

free skin care · Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:19 pm

its ok, just as long as it doesnt turn blood red.

free skin care · Mon Jul 06, 2009 1:47 pm

calorblind wrote:

its ok, just as long as it doesnt turn blood red.

ok, I see.
thank you!

free skin care · Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:29 pm

It sounds like it oxidized already, but I have not used that particular skinceuticals product to know what the color of it is supposed to be. I don't trust any C that is not clear to champagne in color, any darker in my mind means it has oxidized.

free skin care · Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:50 pm

I agree, it is sounds like it oxidized. I wouldn'r risk it. I had a samples before and they wasn't deep yellow colour.

free skin care · Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:24 pm

I know that Skinceuticals always says it's ok to use C serum with slight yellow or dark yellow color.

But I would like to know what happened when the Serum gets yellow? Is it actually some other things that oxidized so to protect the L-Acsorbic C, or is the C oxidized?

free skin care · Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:31 am

Lara1 wrote:

I agree, it is sounds like it oxidized. I wouldn'r risk it. I had a samples before and they wasn't deep yellow colour.

I agree, you skin is not worth putting it on.

free skin care · Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:36 pm

It's oxidised. It wouldn't have any antioxidant effect.

free skin care · Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:11 am

of course it will be a waste to throw it away but if i changes color , that means it is oxidised: gone bad. best to throw it away or use it on other parts of the body.better be safe than sorry!

free skin care · Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:56 am

I have read over and over again, that when a vitamin c serum turns color, this is the 2nd stage of oxidation, and at this point it becomes "Pro" oxidant, and is harmful to our skin.

The 1st stage of oxidation (of L-Ascorbic Acid) is when it is mixed with water at the get go. This is not dangerous though, and can safely be used until discoration starts..

Personally, I find any company that intentionally uses an ingredient in their C serum that causes yellowing from the get go, very suspect, and I would not use that product even for free.. (The Idebenone in Cellbone's serums, is the reason why I started my research to make my own.) I have never used Skinceuticals, and have no respect for them or their product, because they have the audacity to tell people to "use it up to the point it's blood red".. That is simply hogwash, and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Here's a nice little site with some good info on all things skincare, and some good information on C serums.. (Even a simple, basic DIY recipe is included at the bottom!

http://www.natural-skin-care-info.com/vitamin-c-serum.html

I would like to ask Skinceuticals users a question that I've been trying to figure out for a while.. A while back a few members mentioned a distinct "hot dog smell" with their C, E + FA serum..

I've made a tremendous amount of C serums using L-AA and never once recall 'any' smell no matter how long I had it... Twice, I made a serum using MAP, and both times at about the 6 week mark, they had a distinct (and quite gross) hot dog smell...

So my question is this; why does Skinceuticals C, E + FA serum get that 'hot dog' smell, when they don't have "MAP" listed as an ingredient?

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:11 am

This is a problem I have had too. I have had Obagi's C Clarifying serum and it was yellow to start with. I think they put a yellow tint in it which I was really unhappy about because I guess you can't tell when it has oxidised. Unless it was actually oxidised from the start Shock

I have researched to find out how to tell if this serum has oxidised and can only see stuff about "Obagi has a stable Vitamin C serum" blah blah. I'm going to throw it out as I think it's been getting darker.
Are there any Vitamin C serums out there that are totally clear ie no tint? Are they supposed to be clear "white" or do they always have a bit of a colour like champagne as said above?

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 4:47 am

TTD wrote:

This is a problem I have had too. I have had Obagi's C Clarifying serum and it was yellow to start with. I think they put a yellow tint in it which I was really unhappy about because I guess you can't tell when it has oxidised. Unless it was actually oxidised from the start Shock

I have researched to find out how to tell if this serum has oxidised and can only see stuff about "Obagi has a stable Vitamin C serum" blah blah. I'm going to throw it out as I think it's been getting darker.
Are there any Vitamin C serums out there that are totally clear ie no tint? Are they supposed to be clear "white" or do they always have a bit of a colour like champagne as said above?

I have been trying various vitamin C serum throughout the years and - so far - found three brands that are perfectly clear for at least 3-5 months after opening: CellularskinRX C+, SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF and SkinMedica C Complex.

Smile

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 5:53 am

I have been using SkinCeuticals CE+Ferulic serum since it came out. But, back in March I started using a prescription of Finacea for small brown patches on my skin, and stopped using the C serum. I purchased the bottle back in March and maybe used it 2 times. Well, I went to start using it again the other day and it has turned a very dark yellow. So, it's been about 4 months and I have to assume it is no longer good. It is a shame because it is a new full bottle. I decided I won't throw it out, but maybe use it on my lower neck/chest area. I will order a new bottle to use on my face. Smile

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:19 am

I bought some Skinceuticals C serum sample paks off Ebay once. They had a very slight yellowish caste so I contacted the company and they told me the product was fine and this was normal. It didn't look right to me so I returned it. It may be that all their C serums look this way, but I'm not willing to take the chance. That is why I started making my own. Wink

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:39 am

Oops, I wanted to add that I buy directly from SkinCeuticals and when I receive the C serums, they are always clear. No color whatsoever. Over time they do turn a slight pale yellow color, but I am usually finished with a bottle before it gets to that point.

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:57 am

I use another brand vitamin c serum. I also find it turns brown in colour. I ask the agent it is suitable to continue use or not. They say it is not a problem and I can use it. But I still confuse because vitamin c is easily to be oxidated. So if it is oxidated, the effect of this product should be affect. That means it is an useless skincare even it can be used. Am I right??

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:04 am

Garden of Wisdom has Vit C & Ferulic serum thats very reasonably priced. I think its around $30 for 1oz bottle. I have not tried it but plan to order it when I run out of SkinCeuticals C serum. I always store SC's in the fridge and it remains clear to use the entire bottle.

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:44 am

Thanks for the information, all.

tckmtracy: Doesn't sound like there will be any benefit from continuing using that. As I understand it oxidised Vitamin C will actually cause damage.

GirlieGirl: Let me know how the GoW Vit C turns out

Wed Dec 31, 2014 2:37 pm

I know this is an old post, but since it still shows up in searches I wanted to add a comment.

The thing about these vit C serums is that you also have to consider what other ingredients are in them, and the natural color of these ingredients. Especially now that companies are using more naturally derived botanicals - which vary per harvested batch.

As for the yellow color in OP's SkinSceuticals serum, it probably came from the Ferulic acid. Ferulic acid is naturally a strongly pigmented yellow color. Any vit C product that claims to contain Ferulic acid will have to be at the very least a light yellow color - depending on the Ferulic concentration of course. No way around it. You can't "bleach" that color out. This is why, when the brands insist that the products are safe to use, it's because they are. Yellow coloring does not always mean something is oxidized. You need to look into the ingredient list, and know your ingredients and what they look like on their own. Not to say you don't need to keep an eye on the products as you use them. All vit C's, not matter how stable, will eventually turn and darken from it's original state. When the color changes and gets considerably darker, then oxidation is setting in and then should be discarded.

Hope this addition helps. I just hate to see people throw away perfectly good products! Smile

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