NOW Foods Solutions, Vitamin C Serum Plus Ferulic Acid, Skin Brightening and Tightening, Highly Concentrated, 1-Ounce

Great serumMakes your face very bright

It is sometimes hard to figure out which skincare products are actually worth the price … and which ones are merely hype. I have done a lot of research in this area because as I hit the age of 40, I started to see age spots, fine lines and wrinkles which I did not see in my 20's and 30's. This is made by a company called, Now Solutions ... which is a division of Now Foods. I was unfamiliar with this brand, and somewhat skeptical because of the low price point, compared to some of the other big name skincare brands we have all heard of.Upon first pump out of the bottle, I noticed this was a bright orange/dark yellow colour. I wondered if it would streak on my face because I have light skin, but it did not. It is a Serum, so it is a bit thicker than some of the other lotions. When I first put it on my face, it felt a little sticky until it dried a minute, or so, later. It has an odd feeling ... kind of tight, like a weak version of a mud mask right before you wash it off. It doesn't feel greasy at all, it is more of a tight/dry feeling, almost like a coating. This feeling takes some getting used to.The scent on this, to me, smelled almost like pumpkin. I expected a citrus/orange type of smell. The ingredient list contains many of the tried and true skin-brightening ingredients which promote anti-aging and youthful looking skin.Aloe ... this is the main ingredient on the label, other than water. Aloe is a smoothing agent which moisturizes and soothes skin. It is also perhaps the least expensive non-water ingredient, which would make sense at why it is the second ingredient on the list. It also probably thickens the serum.Sodium Asorbayl Phosphate is the standard Vitamin C ingredient when it comes to skincare products. This version of Vitamin C is the fastest absorbing and is a strong antioxidant. Vitamin C inhibits melatonin production, which helps lighten dark spots and brighten skin. It should be mentioned that you should not wear Vitamin C in the sun as it will intensify the sun's UV effect.Ferulic Acid is a powerful antioxident and is derived from the seeds or leaves of plants. It can be found in oranges, tomatoes and carrots and contains the properties of a free radical scavenger, which helps rid the skin of blemishes and age spots.Hydraulic acid acts as a moisturizer and Guanidium (Pomegranate) acts as a brightening agent because of its concentrated Vitamin C. There is also Vitamin E in this as well, which is said to be effective at mitigating UV damage done to skin. All in all, you get quite a package in this serum for the price. I cannot speak to the quality of the ingredients, although some are listed as organic on the ingredient list and the product carries the Vegan, Vegetarian, Cruelty Free (no animal testing) and No Paraben symbols.Given the value of other similar formulas, I would say this is a good buy. If you are a brand shopper ... or you might be put off by the tight feeling this dried serum leaves on your face, look elsewhere. If you are looking for something with the right ingredients to make your skin look brighter and more protected from the signs of aging, the value makes this a good buy.

I have been using this product for three months. I use it every other night, and on the in-between nights I use a retinol product. I am 45 and have fair skin. I have some freckling on the high parts of my cheekbones that developed in the last year or two, as well as a few more distinct age spots, which I decided to treat with a Vitamin C product. I was planning to start with a more expensive product (Murad) because of the reviews, but ordered this one because I felt it was more affordable long term if it works.First, I use a nice moisturizer after this product, so my skin feels very good, not dry or tight. I also do not mind the fragrance of this product - I find it to be very indistinct, perhaps vaguely citrus-like, but not noticeable.On the day this product arrived, I actually noticed a large ~1" melasma that appeared on my forearm. It startled me, actually, when I noticed it in the mirror as I was getting ready for bed, because I've never had anything like it before and it truly showed up when nothing had been there before. Since I was starting the Now Vitamin C right then, I went ahead and applied a little to the melasma area at the same time. I was beyond pleased to find it lightened quickly, and within a month, it was gone!Those results, however, are different with the age spots and freckling on my face, which have been around longer. After three months of use for this product, I have seen about 50% reduction on the freckling darkness. The age spots seem to have changed a little bit, but not significantly. I am aware, though, that these things didn't happen overnight, so I don't expect the changes to be quick either.I will also say that I attribute any changes to the combination of using Vitamin C and retinol alternately. I believe they both have valuable roles to play, and I don't think I would have seen these results without using both. I will also be continuing to use both, and I will be purchasing another bottle of the Now Vitamin C to continue using it when this one is out.

I've only been using this for a week so I can't really speak as to whether or not it's doing what it's supposed to be doing (it says it takes about 12 weeks to notice skin improvements). But what I can say is that so far it has not irritated or aggravated my combination oily/dry, acne-prone skin on my nearly 40 year old face. No dryness or redness or anything else. I see some people say it feels sticky but it does not feel sticky at all to me, either when wet or drying or dried. Feels like nothing really once it's absorbed and dried on my skin. Then I top with my moisturizer as usual.It is somewhat more watery than other vitamin c serums I've tried, so I did make a bit of a mess using it the first time. But now I know what to expect and haven't had any dripping issues since then. The scent is not very pleasant, it's something like cardboard mixed with a bitter orange rind. But the scent pretty much completely disappears after it's dried (like, within 30 seconds) so it's really not a dealbreaker for me. The ingredients list I think is really very good, it has none of the questionable skin product ingredients I try to avoid. Overall, so far it seems fine for my skin and I will continue using it. I've been using Now brand supplements for many years and it's a brand I feel good about using.