The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone

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Priced at

£7.40

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Vitamin C is a pretty controversial topic in the beauty world but Deciem always seem to come up with the answers to controversial questions. Launching soon is brand new The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone which has been formulated to reverse many signs of ageing and brighten the skin. Here’s what you need to know.

So the thing is, the only thing that solubilises pure Vitamin C is water. This is problematic because the only thing that oxidises Vitamin C is water! Air doesn’t oxidise it, nothing else does, just water. So for Vitamin C to be as fresh and active as it can be, water must not go near it until it touches the water in your skin. It’s a simple substance that has a lot of complexity around it.

So the only Vitamin C solution in The Ordinary that is pure L-Ascorbic Acid is a suspension – it is powder suspended in a formula – the Vitamin C Suspension 23% and HA Spheres 2%. This is the one that people have complained is a little gritty – and when you feel a bit of grit it’s because even the lowest particle size you can get is detectable. You are basically getting a powder that is dissolving in the water in your own skin – the same as if you applied powder straight to the skin.

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone Texture

The reason that other Vitamin C products on the market are not gritty is because they use very heavy silicones to suspend it, so they mask the grittiness. The Ordinary and Deciem love to use silicones, but not when they are preventing interaction with an ingredient. So what they did for The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone is use very low volatility silicones, so they disappear really quickly and don’t sit on the skin like a heavy silicone.

They also increased the Vitamin C concentration to 30%, effectively to try and balance out the level that the low volatility silicones impede the ingredient and limit its penetration. This product is not gritty in texture at all but it will make your skin tingle. If you have sensitive skin it is advised that you dilute it down.

The tingle is not irritation, it is the acidity of Ascorbic Acid is simply adjusting the pH on the surface of the skin very quickly to a very low level and then it will recover very quickly. It is actually the recovery that tingles, not the acidity. The cream feels fairly thick when you first apply it, and then the heaviness very quickly disappears. It makes a good base for makeup.

This brings the The Ordinary’s Vitamin product count to five, and there is actually another one coming which is a pure powder.

Which The Ordinary Vitamin C Product Should You Choose?

Brandon Truaxe, brand founder, told me that the 23% Suspension will still actually give you a little more Vitamin C than the new 30% one because the formula is so liquid and there is nothing to prevent the action of the Vitamin C. You get 100% exposure to the powder.

This new product gives slightly less exposure to the pure Vitamin C so you will probably get the equivalent of 20%. The Ordinary have introduced this product for those that didn’t like the gritty texture of the 23% and it’s all about a sensorial improvement rather than increased Vitamin C. Brandon says that you will get better effects from the 23% but if you want a smooth texture then this is for you.

Where to buy?

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone is £7.40 and is available at these links below:

Check out my latest The Ordinary reviews here!