This is the most effective Vitamin C skincare product on the market

We have never been so obsessed with skincare as we are now, but if you’re not in the niche of skintellectuals who know their niacinamide from their alpha hydroxy acids, you might be drowning in the Internet’s varied advice.

One brand disrupting and breaking through the noise is AlumierMD, who are determined to bring the best of skincare with the most effective and efficient formulas on the market to the masses. Created by a team of PhD biochemists, physicians and specialists, they don’t do what’s easy, they do what’s right.

They don’t add in ingredients to please a trend. Their 35 products are created using innovative ingredients at optimal levels and no less than five advanced delivery systems. The result is medical grade formulations of multifaceted, results-oriented skincare molecules. Their newest product is set to be the most effective Vitamin C product on the market.

The benefits of using Vitamin C are unbeatable but it’s notoriously volatile and difficult to keep stable in skincare products. Vitamin C breaks down when it hits light and air so packaging 3 months’ worth of serum in one big bottle won’t cut the mustard. Not all Vitamin C serums are created equal. Firstly, as mentioned, it needs to be packaged correctly, so Vitamin C in a jar is not worth your money. Secondly, there are many different and beneficial kinds of Vitamin C but the one you want to look out for in ingredients list is ‘L-ascorbic acid’ – it is the only bioavailable form of Vitamin C, which means the body can actually use it for skin improvement. It absorbs quickly and has the highest potency when you apply it to your skin.

Thirdly, you need to have an adequate percentage of Vitamin C (15%) for it to reach it’s potential and it should be labelled on the bottle. The serum also needs to be clear, not orange or brown, which is an indication it’s started to oxidize. One way to ensure the stability and efficacy of delicate, water- soluble Vitamin C is to dose powdered L-Ascorbic-Acid into a serum upon purchase. The key to maximizing the effect of Vitamin C is to pair it with Vitamin E in a formula with a pH of 3.5 or less and all the better if it’s fragrance, dye and paraben-free. 

Guess how many products have that full selection of must-haves in their Vitamin C product? Zero. Until now.

AlumierMD has tackled the stability and oxidation challenges of Vitamin C with EverActive C&E, the most optimally active vitamin C and E serum on the market. It is fresh from the moment it is opened and remains beneficial to the health of the skin until the last drop.

Faceworks Aesthetic and Skin Clinic in Carlow was one of the first clinics in Ireland to stock AlumierMD. Dr. Eithne Brenner, medical director and resident doctor at Faceworks explains the benefits of Vitamin C, how to ensure your Vitamin C product is effective and why you’re wasting your time with anything else.

What are the benefits of using Vitamin C for your skin?

“Vitamin C is one of those clinically proven ingredients that help to stimulate collagen, which is the holy grail in skin health. It brightens the skin, it acts as a non-bleaching brightener to reduce pigmentation and it acts as an antioxidant to protect the skin from ageing. There’s increasing evidence that it helps to reduce some sun damage. While it’s not a substitute for sunscreen, it really can reduce redness and damage so really great skin is what we’re achieving for our clients and Vitamin C is a gold standard ingredient that we love.”

Why is Vitamin C so difficult to get right in skincare?

“It’s not a stable molecule and if you expose it to light and air, it tends to break down and oxidise and not be effective, so you really want to get a very stable form of it that will be strong enough and will penetrate the skin properly and get to work where you need it. It’s a tricky molecule but we know it really works, and it’s getting enough percentage in the product so it works from the minute you open it right to the minute you use the last drop of it.”

What do we need to look for in a Vitamin C skincare product to know it will work?

“The first thing to look for is the percentage, that there is an adequate amount. I love skincare brands that give you the actual percentages and don’t just have it in the ingredient list without telling you what the amount is. For me, as a doctor, the key thing is knowing it’s going to work and that it’s not just thrown in for the name but not effective. I want to see that there is enough percentage, in a packaging that is protected from light and air and that it’s not an open jar that is going to contaminated with your grubby fingers. That you can dispense it and that the product is clear, it’s also fragrance free when it’s active and you don’t want that to go yellow or brown or start to smell. Using them with an expiry date is important too, we’ve all got old creams that we should throw out. If you’re looking for a Vitamin C that works, you’re just not going to get that benefit. If people are looking for a serum, it’s looking that it has an intelligent delivery, that it’s protected properly, it’s not just playing lip service to that ingredient. We know particularly with Vitamin A and C that you’ve got to have the proper bioactive ingredients and for Vitamin C that’s L-ascorbic acid. That needs to be the right ingredient.”

What elements are needed in Vitamin C skincare for it to stay active?

“Studies shows that as you go up from 1-10% the effectiveness increases and so the optimum is considered to be 10-15%. If the ingredient is too far down the list of the product it doesn’t have enough and it’s really not going to give you that adequate result. You want it to be strong enough, you want it to be able to absorbed by the skin, you have to protect it from light and air so that once you open it, it’s not going to start degrading the minute it’s opened. All these things are needed for the proper delivery system for effective Vitamin C.”

How is the AlumierMD bottle created to ensure the most active Vitamin C?

“It’s completely sealed, so it has two separate chambers and the Vitamin C crystals are in the top of the bottle and they’re sealed. The serum is in a dark bottle to protect it from light, and only when you need to start that product do you undo the packaging and activate the two to mix the crystals with the serum. You just shake it for a minute and it’s ready to go. You hold off on mixing the next bottle until you’ve used your first one.”

The product is sold in three bottles – how long should one bottle last?

“It’s 15ml so it should last at least a month. What I find with a lot of clients, it depends whether they’re using it on their face only or their neck and décolletage. I’ve been involved in aesthetic medicine for over a decade and I always see women whose faces and necks are out of sync and the face has been protected more and the neck has been neglected. If they protect the neck and décolletage with EverActive  C&E they should get a good month out of that individual 15ml.”

AlumierMD EverActive C&E

What are the benefits of using Vitamin C and E together?

“If you add them together you get a four-fold increase in the antioxidant activity. They work in synergy together so they have a really powerful action to enhance the antioxidative benefit. The Vitamin E has such a moisturising effect of the skin, it gives a lovely luxurious feel to it as well, so it’s not just a medicinal vitamin product, it’s got a real nice feel to it.”

How often should we use Vitamin C products and where does it come in the skincare routine?

“Use it daytime because it’s very potent, directly after cleansing. Put sunscreen on over it. That’s the best use of it. You can put sunscreen and foundation over it with no problems, it’s not tacky so it won’t make your foundation shift, it has a lovely texture.”

How long will it take to see the results of Vitamin C on the skin?

“Depending on your age and how long your skin renewal cycle is, you should be seeing brightening within a couple of weeks because you’ll get some brightening within one skin cycle. We try not to promise instant results so I’d say one to two months for sure. Women in their 50’s should give it two to three months so they’re very clear their skin will benefit.”

Is there anything we need to be wary of when using Vitamin C?

“We always stress the importance of sunscreen but there’s no photosensitivity or reaction and we find it’s fine with clients with sensitive skin as it’s quite soothing. You think it will be too astringent but it’s not, it’s fine for all skin types.”

For more information and stockists, please visit alumiermd.co.uk