[SKINCARE] Commonlabs Vitamin C Brightening Gel Cream 70ml

Product's Overview:

Came with spatula

Ingredients:

Water, Hippophae Rhamnoides Water(300,000ppm), Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid(1,000ppm), Ascorbic Acid(100ppm), Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Extract, Xylitol, Trehalose, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Malpighia Glabra (Acerola) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Gluconic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Lactobionic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dextrin, Ceramide NP, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Limonene

⭐Ingredients Breakdown:

Hippophae Rhamnoides Water (300,000ppm) - Sea buckthorn water 30%, anti-oxidant, generate new skin cells & skin metabollic's process, improve dull skin tone, brightens up the skin, anti-inflammatory;

Butylene Glycol - Skin conditioning, softens the skin, improve skin texture;

Niacinamide - Vitamin B3, anti-oxidant, provides skin hydration, brightens up the skin, minimise pore appearance, reduce hyperpigmentation, sebum-control, promotes elasticity;

1,2-Hexanediol - Moisture-binding humectant & preservative;

Glycerin - Moisturising humectant, pulls hydration from deppeer layer of skin/air to outer layer, works best with occlusives (moisturising agent that traps moisture from losing from skin)

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid (1,000ppm) - 0.1%, Stable form of Vitamin C, anti-oxidant, reduce melanin & thyrosinase, brightens up the skin;

Ascorbic Acid (100ppm) - 0.01%, Anti-oxidant, reduce free radical damage, reduce hyperpigmentation, brightens up the skin;

Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Extract - Anti-oxidant, strengthens the skin & its elasticity, reduce fine lines & wrinkles appearance;

Xylitol - Boost skin hydration, maintain skin barrier;

Trehalose - Anti-oxidant, moisturising, prevent free radical damage from UV;

Squalane - Emollient, anti-oxidant, reduce wrinkles, scars & fine lines, reduce free radical damage, improve hyperpigmentation;

Sodium Hyaluronate - Hydrophillic (can bind with water), attracts moisture in skin cells from dermis (2nd layer of skin) to epidermis (top layer of skin), increase skin hydration, better hydration for skin than Hyaluronic Acid as it has smaller molecular weight;

Adenosine - Minimise wrinkles & fine lines appearance, smoothens skin complexion;

Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract - Kakadu plum, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, fights acne;

Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract - Camu camu berry, strong anti-oxidant, rich Vitamin C to brightens skin & prevent free radical damage;

Malpighia Glabra (Acerola) Fruit Extract - Anti-oxidant, hydrating polysaccharide;

Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract - Anti-oxidant, maintain skin elasticity, smoothens the skin;

Punica Granatum Fruit Extract - Pomegranate, anti-oxidant, Vitamin C, prevent cell damage, speed wound healing;

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract - Strengthens & thicken outer layer of skin, smoothens fine lines & wrinkles;

Gluconic Acid - More gentle than AHA, promotes exfoliation & skin renewal;

Mandelic Acid - Gentler form of AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) to exfoliate the skin's dead skin cells because of its largest molecular weight, prevent acne, promote cell turnover, improve dull complexion & fine lines;

Lactobionic Acid - Anti-oxidant, reduce free radical damage, humectant, softens skin texture, reduce wrinkle appearance, exfoliate top layer of dead skin cells, more gentle than AHAs;

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer - Store moisture deeply in skin & keeps moisture at top layer of skin;

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer - Enhance product texture;

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride - Anti-oxidant, emollient that smoothens the skin, preservative;

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer - Product texture enhancer, forms a film on the skin to decrease moisture loss;

Glyceryl Caprylate - Anti-microbial, boost preservations, co-emulsifier, stabilise oil-in-water emulsion, regulate skin moisture;

Hydrogenated Lecithin - Emollient, emulsifier, makes ingredients to penetrate into skin better;

Ethylhexylglycerin - Mild humectant, softens the skin, improve skin hydration, preservative;

Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract - Anti-oxidant, nourishing, boost skin moisture, calms dehydrated skin;

Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate - Skin-lipid-like emollient, conditioning agent, prevent dehydration, reinforce skin protective barrier;

Sorbitan Isostearate - Made up with fatty acids, emulsifier, thickens & stabilises product;

Dextrin - Stablises water insoluble compounds, making the product to have stable & uniform texture;

Ceramide NP - Lipid molecules, improve skin barrier;

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil - Sweet orange essential oil, anti-oxidant, skin brightening, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial;

Sodium Hydroxide - Maintain product's pH level;

Limonene - Anti-oxidant, scent from citrus fruits, calms down the skin;

First Impression & Application: ★★★★☆

Using the spatula given to scoop out an adequate amount of gel cream, applying it to both face & neck. It has a light citrusy smell. It's not sticky after dried & it absorbs into the skin pretty quick.

It stings my lips most of the time, no matter it's in normal condition or flaking dry. Other than that, the hydration it provides is not enough for my dry-combination skin (I don't feel my face is dry, but my T-zone shows oily signs). I use it on my AM & PM routine, then only AM routine in last 2 months before emptying it.

Pros:

• Brightens up the skin with non-irritating percentage Ascorbic Acid compound & other Vitamin C derivatives
• Fast absorbing, non-sticky
• Has light citrus scent that gives a calming sensation
• Gently exfoliates the skin
• Suitable for oily skin
• Price of 50ml moisturiser with volume of 70ml

Cons:

• Not enough hydration
• Makes my T-zone oily
• Has citrus fruits & orange peel essential oil that may trigger acne if you're sensitive to it

Final Thoughts & Conclusion:

Top layer will look flattened a little on your next use

    

1st pic: before (AM routine time)

2nd pic: after (PM routine time)

It has a light citrusy smell (citrus fruits extracts & orange essential oil). The gel cream will form back to a flat texture (Dextrin ingredient) on your next use, even though there's traces of the cream that I scoop the product out with spatula left at the wall of the jar.

It's a gel cream fully packed with skin brightening ingredients, like Niacinamide, 30% Sea Buckthorn Water, 0.01% Ascorbic Acid & 0.1% 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and additionally fruit extracts: Tangerine Peel, Kakadu plum, Camu camu berry, Acerola, Apple, Pomegranate, Orange & Gardenia Florida Fruit. The gel cream also has Ceramide NP that helps with restoring the skin barrier, even though it's at quite low of the ingredient list. Other than that, its Mandelic Acid, Lactobionic Acid & Gluconic Acid also helps gently exfoliates the skin, promotes old cell turnover, suitable for daily use & non-irritating to the skin. Its sweet orange essential oil acts as a fragrance & anti-oxidant, so there's no extra artificial fragrance added into the cream.

The downsides about this gel cream is that it stings my lips every time I use, then after a while it's back to normal again, doesn't cause any redness or inflammation. Despite being a gel cream, I don't feel that my U-zone is dry at all due to lack of hydration, but my T-zone will become oily after half day (which I don't usually face this problem if I use a normal cream). That's when I know it's not suitable for my dry-combination skin even though it doesn't give any lack of moisture signs, but I can see it from my T-zone. I tried topping up another layer of the gel cream once the first layer is dried, and it makes the result better, which I can see there's less oil production on my T-zone.

I usually use this gel cream on both AM & PM routine, then on the last 2 months, only in AM routine because I use thicker creams as sleeping mask with my retinol serum in my PM routine. Also, I don't feel like mixing Vitamin C & AHAs with my retinol in the same routine, even though I don't see signs of irritation for first few days of mixing them together. It's really a suitable gel cream for daytime because it's not sticky & lightweight (other than it's not hydrating & moisturising enough for my skin type). So as the last resort, I'll always top with another gel cream on my whole face or only the cheeks for extra hydration, especially on my dry parts like the U-zone.

If you live in a humid & hot country like me, in Malaysia, and if you have oily skin, wants to brighten up your skin complexion/reduce hyperpigmentation, this gel cream is really an option to go for, additionally has a lot of skin brightening ingredients that's not too irritating to your skin compared to pure L-ascorbic acids as they're mostly Vitamin C derivatives. If you have dry-combination skin like me, it's better if you try a thicker version or the Vitamin E one from the brand. I'll give them a try if I get the chance to.

Price vs. Value: ★★★★☆

70ml RM24 bought on April 2021 huge sale (Original price: RM83.60)

July to September lasts for 

Repurchase? ★★☆☆☆

2★: Fully packed with brightening properties ingredients;

3☆: Not enough hydration & moisturisation for my dry-combination skin, makes my T-zone oily easily

Where to Get It On Your Hands:

Shopee Commonlabs Official Shop RM83.60

Shopee Commonlabs Directly Shipped from Korea RM78.12

Lazada Commonlabs Official Shop RM82

Commonlabs Official Website RM79

Shopee K-beauty Products Shop from Korea RM65

Shop at ^YesStyle with my rewards code JAYNELIM20 to enjoy extra discounts - RM92.05

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Disclaimer: All the products are purchased with my own hard-earned money and every photos are strictly owned by me. The opinions are on my own, unbiasedly & truthfully, but it could vary depending on individual. I'm not an expert in any field nor a licensed individual. Every review is based on my personal preference & for entertainment purpose only. What works for me may not work for you because skincare is personal. I have dry-combination skin (oily T-zone, dry U-zone) but it doesn't mean that you'll have the same experience as me if you have the same skin type as we have different lifestyle and living environment. Try everything at your own risk.

*Kindly refer to the packaging for the latest & most accurate ingredient list when you purchase the product.