I think that vitamin C is something that we all should have included in our skin care routine. That’s why I was happy about getting this serum in my advent calendar, although I’m not the biggest fan of the Ecooking brand (I think they’re overpriced to be honest). I had a travel size of this serum (10 ml) and I used it every morning because I think vitamin C is perfect for the AM skin care routine as it energizes and provides radiance to the skin.

Understanding vitamin C for the skin:

Our skin is subjected to the action of many harmful factors from the external environment. These factors aggress our facial skin, which is one of the causes why wrinkles appear. Also, under their action, the skin becomes dull and devoid of vitality. Vitamin C fights all these effects, especially due to its antioxidant properties. Specifically, vitamin C stimulates collagen synthesis, contributing to skin rejuvenation. In addition, this vitamin fades pigment spots, as well as the signs caused by rashes or acne, it evens out the skin tone and gives it extra brightness. It also enhances the benefits provided by SPF products and it’s a powerful antioxidant. It can be use don any type of skin, as long as the concentration is not too high (in the case of sensitive and dry skin).

Packaging:

The packaging was one of my favorite things about this serum because it comes in a dark bottle with a pump. It’s important to have vitamin C serums in dark recipients that don’t allow light to damage the serum. Also, the pump was very useful for an easy application.

Texture:

This serum looks like a clear liquid and it has no smell (it’s fragrance free). Also, it doesn’t feel tacky or oily on the skin and it absorbs really fast into the skin.

Ingredients:

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract*, Aqua**, Propanediol**, Glycerin*, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water*, Ascorbyl Glucoside**, Sodium PCA**, Xanthan Gum**, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Water*, Sodium Hyaluronate**, Sodium Levulinate**, Maris Aqua**, Potassium Sorbate, Laminaria Digitata Extract**, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid**, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract**, Saccharide Isomerate**, Ethylhexylglycerin.

* = organic · ** = natural

The first ingredients are aloe vera leaf extract, water, propanediol, glycerin and aloe vera leaf water. I find it a little bit odd that the citric acid (which I assume is the vitamin C in this formula) is not higher on the list, but maybe they wanted to keep it at a low concentration so that it can be used by people with different skin types.

Aloe vera (both the extract and the water) is recommended to soothe the skin and to calm irritations. It also has a healing effect on scars and other skin damage.

Propanediol is a solvent, humectant and emollient and it’s considered an alternative to propylene glycol. It dissolves ingredients, decreases viscosity, and retains moisture. It’s safe for acne-prone skin and gives products a lightweight feeling (it makes them feel not sticky).

The formula also contains hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA (an amino acid complex that increases the moisture absorption into the skin) and actibiome (an active ingredient that balances the skin and reduces blemishes).

The laminaria digitata extract (a brown algae) and the chlorella vulgaris extract (a green algae) may cause pore-clogging because while algae have a lot of benefits, some specialists say that they are actually not recommended for acne prone skin.

This formula is vegan.

Price and accessibility:

Ecooking products are available in Douglas stores and in several online shops. The full size of this serum (20 ml) retails for 52 euros on the brand’s official website. I would say that it’s a lot, especially since a bottle would last for only about a month.

My overall opinion:

I used this product in the morning and I would need only a full pump for my entire face. However, I would say that I had enough only for 20 applications (either 10 days if you use it twice a day or 20 days if you use it once a day), so it can be an expensive product considering that there are more affordable alternatives on the market. It felt very nice on the skin and I had no negative reactions to it (irritations or redness) and it also left the skin feeling smooth without being sticky.

I would say that it’s a good serum, but I don’t know the exact concentration of the vitamin C in it because the ingredients list doesn’t offer me a clue about this, so I don’t know how effective it is. While I enjoyed using it, I wouldn’t buy this on my own because, like I said, there are more affordable vitamin C serums out there including from Romanian brands (in my case) that are cheaper and probably have the same effects.