The Dr. Brandt Power Dose Vitamin C might be small but it sure is mighty good stuff!

While I’d known for many years about the efficacy of vitamin C for skin, as an antioxidant and for clarifying and firming up the skin, I’d never had much luck with it. It wasn’t until I used the Hylamide C25 Booster that I actually noticed results. Since then, I’ve been itching to try more, and maybe, better formulas.

I found one!

I first came across the Dr. Brandt Power Dose Vitamin C on Futurederm, which I’d suggest you read for a clinical breakdown (and favourable) review of this serum. The minute I clapped eyes on that post, I knew I had to have it.

Fortuitously, a bottle of the Dr. Brandt Power Dose Vitamin C popped onto my desk one day, much to my squeals of delight 🙂 My first reaction when I saw the bottle was a disbelieving frown. If you notice from the box, it is a mere 16.3ml of product. It’s TINY!

Yet, this serum has visibly clarified my skin even further than what I saw with Hylamide C25 Booster, and even more significantly, it had lightened my pigmentation. That’s what sold me onto this product and convinced me I was on to a winner.

The Dr. Brandt Power Dose Vitamin C contains 20% stablized vitamin c – 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate. The former, my research turned up, is what inhibits melanin production, and that is what offers the lightening of my dark spots and the inhibition of new ones. This beats any whitening serum I’ve used to date, because it not only lightened my dark spots (although that was not my primary intention to use it), but best of all, it did not dry out my skin!

If you have hung around for a while, you’d notice that I do not feature whitening or brightening skincare products. I have pigmentation and dark spots, that are visible and I don’t do much about them. Having tried all sorts of these whitening skincare over the years, I have concluded that I am better off without them. Not only do they not do much in the long term for my skin, they dry out the skin something awful and ironically, the dehydration makes the dark spots darker. If you are using a whitening skincare range, don’t use it for the long term, and always use a hydrating serum because your skin will really go bonkers one day.

But skin lightening was not what I noticed first. It happened fairly gradually, and only after a few weeks of using this once a day, in the morning. The first thing I noticed was that my skin was more even and clearer, that my pores looked smaller and my skin was firmer, fuller and smoother.

The serum is a watery clear liquid that has a hint of yellow in the dropper. It is light in texture and absorbs quickly into the skin without any residue nor any oily feeling. After using this, when I went back to Hylamide C25 Booster, I noticed the oily feeling that many people had observed, but which I didn’t notice the first time around. The Dr. Brandt Power Dose Vitamin C doesn’t have this, feeling almost like water, with only the slightest of viscosity, and without any scent.

The directions call for 3 drops, so I was quite faithful to it, using 3 drops each time, after toner and before a hydrating serum and moisturiser. You can also mix it with your moisturiser but I prefer using it on its own directly on skin. I also only used it in the morning, because Vitamin C is supposed to be an antioxidant that also helps to protect against UV damage. I could also use it in the evening, but I didn’t because I use other serums in the evening routine. If I had, I might have seen results more quickly and visibly.

As for the skin lightening, how did notice this? By noticing that I was using less concealer and feeling much more comfortable using less, or sheerer foundations. My skin seemed to have a glow that I could not attribute to much else, because I’ve really been going through some really crappy times. There is a ways to go yet before my dark spots are gone. They might never be, but they are a touch lighter than what they used to be and I’m happy with this gradual fading as I don’t believe in products that promise drastic results.

The size of this serum however, as I have noted, is tiny. Yet, because I use just 3 drops each time and I only use it once a day, it’s been over a month, almost 1.5 months, and I’m only about halfway through the bottle. I won’t pretend that this is by any stretch of the imagination affordable, because it isn’t. But it works so well, I will keep this on a to-repurchase list. I do plan to try others – you know me – which is why I can’t say with great certainty that I WILL repurchase, but because it’s easy to get hold of this one locally, I can forsee keeping it in my routine in the future.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Dr. Brandt Power Dose Vitamin C is a vitamin C serum that contains 20% of stablized vitamin C. It is a light textured serum that absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving any residue. With once a day use in the morning, I noticed that my skin was not only smoother and clearer, with a glow, but also that my dark spots were noticeably lightened, and I wasn’t getting any new dark spots. This had surprised me because I’d gotten so used to my pigmentation, that I didn’t think they’d get any lighter. Best of all, this isn’t drying at all. I do combine with a hydrating serum, but even when I don’t, it doesn’t dry my skin. I love it, even if I don’t love the price nor the little size.

PROS: Light texture absorbs easily into skin, Effective in lightening dark spots, With regular use skin is clearer with a glow and firmer and feels and looks smoother, Dropper picks up product easily and is easy to control

CONS: Pricey, Small sized bottle

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who wants a vitamin C serum that really works to clarify skin, lighten dark spots, firm up skin and smoothen skin texture

PRICE: RM285 | US$69 for 16.3ml

WHERE TO BUY: KENS Apothecary stores or online at Sephora, Ulta, Strawberrynet

If you’re interested, here is the Dr. Brandt Power Dose Vitamin C ingredient list

I must say I was very impressed by this. I wasn’t expecting to be, but it’s always nice to be proven wrong 🙂

Does this serum interest you? Do you use a Vitamin C serum?

I’m in the market for other Vitamin C serums, naturally. Having seen how effective a good formula can be, both for my skin texture and for helping lighten my dark spots that have been there for years, I’m gratified that I have finally found something that can clarify my skin without drying it out like a husk. That makes me a happy camper 😀

Paris B