SPECIALIST testing LA ROCHE POSAY PURE VITAMIN C10 SERUM: Review, How to use, Demo, Before&After pics

In today’s blog post I am going to write about the Vitamin C Serum by La Roche Posay which is called Pure Vitamin C10.

CLAIMS

Claims on La Roche Posay’s website:

“This anti-aging Vitamin C face and neck serum leaves skin more radiant, softer, and hydrated. As a result, wrinkles look visibly reduced and skin texture and tone are more even and refined. This serum combines concentrated 10% pure Vitamin C, Salicylic Acid, and Neurosensine for optimal effectiveness while also being suitable for sensitive skin.”

This serum does have anti-aging ingredients, so I agree with the anti-aging part.

But is it really suitable for sensitive skin? This claim I have to disagree with because this serum has Fragrance.

All the other claims I can deal with because the serum does have the ingredients to back them up. And that leads me to our next category, ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

For the actives, it has Salicylic Acid, Neurosensine, low molecular Hyaluronic Acid, and L-ascorbic acid.

L-ascorbic acid is the pure form of Vitamin C, which is the best one you can have in a serum. It usually can be found from a concentration of 5% to 20%, even though it can irritate the skin when it’s above 10%. This serum has only 10%, so it’s less likely to irritate the skin.

In my case, it didn’t cause me any irritation, but I don’t have sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin be careful and keep reading because I’ll talk more about this later on.

L-ascorbic acid is an amazing ingredient. It boosts collagen production in the skin, fades dark spots, reduces the appearance of wrinkles, and gives a more radiant finish. The problem is that it’s not stable. The formulators do have a tough time creating a formulation that is going to preserve the Vitamin C for a longer time. That’s why Vitamin C serums are only going to be good for around two months after opening them.

This serum in particular can be used up to two months after opening it. If you can’t use it up in that period of time just throw it away.

When I first bought the product it was bright yellow and transparent, and after a little bit over a month of use, it became orange. My advice for you is that you don’t stack up on this serum. Once you open it, use it every single day. Day and night.

Moving on with the ingredients, this serum has Salicylic Acid, which is a BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid). It’s an overall great ingredient that acts as a mild exfoliant. It’s also an anti-inflammatory agent, and it’s great for treating acne.

Then we have Neurosensine, a d-peptide that is naturally found in our skin. It has been shown that it reduces the sensation of discomfort.

Other ingredients I would like to mention in this serum are Glycerin, a humectant that binds water, and low molecular Hyaluronic Acid. Low molecular Hyaluronic Acid can penetrate the deeper layers of the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. So yes, the anti-aging claim is backed up by all of these ingredients.

The last ingredient I’d like to mention is Vitamin E. Vitamin E works in synergy with Vitamin C and gives you UV protection. However, the photoprotection it provides is NOT enough to be worn on its own. So it’s still important to wear sunscreen during the day!

CONTROVERSIAL INGREDIENTS

This serum has two controversial ingredients—Fragrance and Alcohol.

If you’ve been watching my channel you know that I don’t mind Alcohol. I think that Alcohol is helping the penetration of Vitamin C in this case. But I mention it for those of you who hate Alcohol in their products and find it drying on their skin.

The ingredient that I sometimes do mind is Fragrance. This serum has Fragrance and I don’t see how it can be good for sensitive skin because of this.

WHO CAN USE IT?

I would say that almost anyone can use this Vitamin C serum. You can use it if you want a more even and brighter complexion. Even if you have acne, this serum will be beneficial for you because it has Salicylic Acid.

I just wouldn’t recommend this Vitamin C serum to anyone who has highly sensitive skin because chances are it is going to irritate your skin. Plus it has Fragrance, so that’s going to add to the irritation. So overall if you’re highly sensitive avoid this serum.

HOW TO USE IT?

As I mentioned earlier, it is hard for Vitamin C to penetrate through your skin. So, in order to enhance that penetration, I do recommend using it on damp skin or after washing your face.

While I was testing this serum I was using it during the night, right after washing my face. While my skin was still wet I would apply the serum and wait a little bit for it to become tacky. Then I would put a moisturizer on top to lock it in place.

This serum actually has Dimethicone, an occlusive silicone. But that’s not enough for you to apply it on its own. I would definitely recommend that you follow it up with a moisturizer on top if you’re applying it in the evening. And if you’re applying it in the morning then you can just apply sunscreen on top.

Applying the serum over damp skin might mess up the setting up of your sunscreen later on. So to work around that problem I would just advise you to apply two layers of sunscreen instead of one.

Just for reference, I filmed a demo application in which I applied the product in both ways. On one side of my face, I applied it to wet skin, and on the other one, I applied it to dry skin. I dried just one side of my face just because I wanted to see how it acts underneath sunscreen. I wanted to see if it was going to peel or not. You can watch the video with the demo application below.

BEFORE&AFTER PHOTOS

Now, it might just be my subjective feeling, but when I look at myself in the mirror I feel like my skin has become more even and blurred out. I’m not sure if that’s what others see as well, so let’s see what the before&photos have to say.

I was using this serum with my mom. She has dark spots so I always use her as my guinea pig for testing these products out, and that’s what I did this time as well.

It seems that the main dark spot on her face is a little bit lighter in the after photo. The dark spots didn’t disappear completely but there is a difference between the two photos. So the serum does show some effects on the skin.

FINAL VERDICT

PROS

I like that it has 10% of pure form of Vitamin C, which is L-ascorbic acid. Overall I love that it has Salicylic Acid, low molecular Hyaluronic Acid, and Vitamin E. And I love that it’s actually effective and blurs out your skin and makes it more even.

CONS

First of all, it has Fragrance and it’s not going to be good for sensitive skin.

The second thing I don’t like is the packaging. If you already know that the problem with Vitamin C is that it’s not stable, why put it in a dropper?

The dropper is just going to make it go bad even sooner. Every time you open it you’re going to expose it to air and it’s going to oxidize the product even more.

There are better options for the packaging. For example, Eucerin did a way better job with the packaging of their Vitamin C serum. They have three little bottles and you activate the Vitamin C before starting to use each bottle. You have two weeks to use up each unit. That way the Vitamin C is less exposed to the air. I have a review on that serum as well, so you can check it out in the following video.

One more thing is that the dropper came alongside the closed bottle, and it wasn’t even inside a plastic bag. It wasn’t sterile, so lord knows how many microorganisms were already on this dropper before I put it in the bottle. It’s not very sanitary, and it’s just another thing that it’s going to make your Vitamin C go bad sooner.

Will I buy it again? I’m not sure. I don’t like the dropper, but I do like the product itself. The product is really good and I love the effect on the skin.

As always, please take into consideration everything that I have said so far to figure out whether this product would be good for you or not.

Text adapted from Pharmacy&Makeup’s Youtube Video by Sofia Gioiosa