i have freckles and dark spots. probably it was my own fault. back in my childhood days, i would be the only girl with fair skin among bunch. and being too stand out in a crowd is not comfortable. so i tried to be under the sun as much as possible, without sunscreen. i even joined the scout team which has a ceremony exactly at noon, in the broad daylight, under the hot and sunny sun. for about two years. obviously all my efforts were useless. back then i didn't know there are skin types, and mine is the one that gets burn but not get tan. that's why it's impossible for me to be darker. but dark spots might occur. and with pregnancy, the dark spots are getting worse. that's why i've been friends with vitamin c. so far i have good result with vitamin c. i haven't tried many niacinamide or arbutin yet, so probably after testing several vitamin c, i'd try them later. i also tried to use local brands for now. among those local brands who have vitamin c serum, probably fss and votre peau are ones that came out earlier with vitamin c, so i decided to try between those two. i picked fss for now.
this is the description from their website: non greasy, no animal testing, no paraben, no dyes, no fragrance. this serum is thick in texture and white cloudy in color. easy to absorb. for optimum results, pair with hyaluronic acid serum. enriched with hyaluronic acid, MSM, vitamin E. helps with dullness, hyperpigmentation, sun damage, fine lines.
ingredients list: aqua, cassia angustifolia seed extract, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, dimethyl sulfone, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tocopheryl acetate, simmondsia chinensis seed oil, centella asiatica extract, equisetum arvense extract, geranium maculatum extract, taraxacum officinale extract, sodium hydroxide, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin.
 |
| the box |
 |
| description at the back |
the packaging: it comes in regular cardbox with color accent on the box. at first fss came out with three serums, blue one for hyaluronic acid, yellow for vitamin c and red for retinol. there's a description on the back in english and ingredients list as well. they put a seal on top of the box. the bottle is a dark brown glass bottle with dropper to dispense the product. it's usual for vitamin c serum to come in dark brown bottle, as vitamin c is oxidized by sunlight. some vitamin c are unstable so you have to keep it in the fridge. the fss one is quite stable so i don't put it in the fridge and nothing changed up until now. the dropper works well in a way.
 |
| ingredients list |
 |
| how the bottle looks like |
the scent: this is scentless, but since it contains quite a mix of ingredients, obviously it would have some natural scent of the ingredients. it's a bit unpleasant at first, but as time goes by, maybe i'm getting used to the scent, but it's not as strong as the first time.
 |
| the dropper (you can see it's a bit left on the rim, right?) |
 |
| the serum on my hand |
 |
| after patting it in |
the product: the serum is a thick cloudy white gel type serum. since it's quite thick, it's not easy to pick the serum with the dropper. though i'd tried to pinch it for several seconds, i would only get a drop or two. it's supposed to be homogen, but probably because the serum is easily smeared on the rim of the bottle then getting dragged to the neck by the dropper, it became messy on the neck of the bottle. some serum dried on the neck and probably got dragged back inside. i can feel some tiny dry bits inside the serum, but it dissolves after i massage it with my hands. but it's annoying to wipe clean the neck after using the serum. i tried to use it carefully, holding the dropper straight so it won't touch the side of the bottle, but still, some would spill anyway. as i've mentioned, the serum doesn't oxidize at all even though i didn't store it in the fridge. this one contains sodium ascorbyl phosphate, which is one of vitamin c derivatives that's quite stable, though it's not as stable as ascorbyl glucoside or THD. it spreads around easily and leaves glowy finish. to tacky feeling afterward once it's absorbed. there's no tingling sensation as well.
 |
| progress on my right cheek notice reduce redness as well as lightening of my acne scar |
 |
| progress on left cheek reduce redness and some dark spot are lightened as well |
the result: this serum contains aloe and centella which both are good for soothing. that's why using the serum can calm my redness as well. it also feels moisturizing as well. it layers well under and over other skincare products that i use. i use this daily in the morning as i use other actives at night. though stable, SAP is less potent than ascorbyl glucoside, that's why on my fair skin, it's hard to notice the result. you can see from the progress pictures that although i can see some redness subsides, a few dark spots also lightens. my acne scars also lightened as well, but it takes time. unfortunately, this serum doesn't last long. i can barely managed to take my one month progress picture probably days before i would finish this serum.
i have to say that this serum is working though slowly. price wise it's still considered affordable. if you're looking for an affordable and stable vitamin c serum, especially from a local brand, this one might be good option for you. i think it'd be suitable for all skin types as it's not irritative. probably as long as you don't dread your money being spilled on the rim of the bottle and having to clean the neck afterward, then this serum is a good option for you. as for me, there are some other local brands that offer vitamin c serum as well, so i might try them all before deciding.
0 Comments