**Skin type**: Very dry and prone to hormonal acne (deeper pustules; reddish bumps that do not come to a head mainly below nose/chin area). Had an extreme breakout during a period of high stress in my early 30s which left my face full of PIH which are several shades darker than my skin tone and PIE. The active breakout got under control thanks to 10% benzoyl peroxide cream and mega-dosing with Vitamin B5
**Climate**: humid subtropical according to Wikipedia (I live in the DC area)
**Current routine**: AM-cold water rinse, COSRX Propolis toner followed by Cos de Baha Tranexamic Acid serum, then COSRX Vitamin C 23 serum (I read that Vitamin C and tranexamic acid work well together so I combined them in my current routine) then Vanicream daily moisturizer for sensitive skin. Biore Watery Essence as SPF.
PM- B.LAB Matcha Hydrating Foam Cleanser (I do not cleanse every day but every other day or only on days I wear makeup because I’m trying to avoid stripping additional moisture from my skin), same moisturizing routine as AM minus the Vitamin C 23 serum.
**Skin care goal**: To be able to go out daily without wearing any foundation/concealer and powder which was unfathomable to me only a couple years ago.
**Review:** I’ve been using this serum for 12 days. First a bit of background on my skin: I used to have a horrible case of acne scars and dark marks all over my face. There was not a square inch of skin on my face that didn’t have old or new blemishes and dark marks from hormonal acne (deep pustule type, nothing that comes to a head or can be squeezed, and leaves scars whether I touch it or not). My skin unfortunately produces a great deal of melanin in response to any kind of trauma so the spots are several shades darker than my normal skin color and extremely noticeable. It was so bad that a complete stranger on the street made a comment to me once and that day I was wearing full makeup; that’s how noticeable and visible the hyperpigmentation was. I had to address the active breakouts first and once under control, I tackled the dark marks with Melano CC (thanks to this sub!!) which made a huge difference, albeit it took months to slowly work, and then Cos de Baha tranexamic acid which helped to further lighten the marks. IME however, the Cos de Baha is much more effective on newer blemishes.
I’ve posted pics of the left side and right side of my face after 12 days of using this product. I am completely bare face, no makeup whatsoever and no camera filters (sorry for bad phone camera quality). I suck at taking selfies but sacrificed myself for this sub so the review could be more helpful lol. I’m somewhat satisfied with the right side of my face as much of my dark spots have cleared up following the Melano and Cos de Baha; however my left side still has vestiges of dark marks on the cheek and chin (circled in red). I felt that the Melano, with its lower Vitamin C content of 3%, long ago maxed out its effects therefore I went for this product because it’s a lot stronger at 23%.
Do I notice a difference after only 12 days? Yes, the marks on my left cheek have ‘broken’ up in a sense, it used to be a homogenous larger blotch and now broken up into smaller separate pieces if that makes sense. Sorry I don’t have a picture from the first day of taking it but since it’s only day 12 right now I thought I’d post a picture and then update it in another 2 weeks if people are interested in a comparison. I’m really happy with the progress so far especially as Melano took so long to work for me, although tbf it’s a solid product and worked a miracle at the time.
The Vitamin C 23 is NOT for everyone. 23% is extremely strong and will cause a negative reaction if your skin is sensitive and not used to strong products. I’ve used tretinoin .05% in the past and other acid peely type products so my skin handled this serum just fine. My mom on the other hand experienced redness, tightness and irritation and stopped after two uses. You need to use a LOT of moisturizer with this product as your skin will feel tacky, sticky, and then tight following application. There is hyaluronic acid in it but it is still very much drying probably due to the high Vit C content.
There is no artificial fragrance (a huge plus for me and I’m happy COSRX omitted it) I’ve seen some complain about a hot dog smell, it does have a waft of sausage when you open the bottle but once applied to the face the scent disappears. Per instructions the bottle must be kept in the fridge and not be exposed to light, it is meant to be used within 2 months as it will oxidise quickly. I’ve been extremely careful about this and my serum is still nice and clear, no oxidisation so far.
**Price**: Got a Black Friday deal for $15.75, Ulta sells it for $25; Stylevana, Yesstyle and the like have discounted prices
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**Product**: COSRX The Vitamin C 23 Serum
**Ingredients**: Water, Ascorbic Acid(23%), Propanediol, Dimethicone, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Ethyl Ascorbyl Ether, Squalane, Caffeine, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Sulfite, Disodium EDTA, Glutathione, Adenosine, Acetyl Glucosamine, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Dextrin, Tocotrienols, Tocopherol, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Butylene Glycol, Arginine, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Methyl Trimethicone, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Beta-Carotene
**Skin type**: Very dry and prone to hormonal acne (deeper pustules; reddish bumps that do not come to a head mainly below nose/chin area). Had an extreme breakout during a period of high stress in my early 30s which left my face full of PIH which are several shades darker than my skin tone and PIE. The active breakout got under control thanks to 10% benzoyl peroxide cream and mega-dosing with Vitamin B5
**Climate**: humid subtropical according to Wikipedia (I live in the DC area)
**Current routine**: AM-cold water rinse, COSRX Propolis toner followed by Cos de Baha Tranexamic Acid serum, then COSRX Vitamin C 23 serum (I read that Vitamin C and tranexamic acid work well together so I combined them in my current routine) then Vanicream daily moisturizer for sensitive skin. Biore Watery Essence as SPF.
PM- B.LAB Matcha Hydrating Foam Cleanser (I do not cleanse every day but every other day or only on days I wear makeup because I’m trying to avoid stripping additional moisture from my skin), same moisturizing routine as AM minus the Vitamin C 23 serum.
**Skin care goal**: To be able to go out daily without wearing any foundation/concealer and powder which was unfathomable to me only a couple years ago.
**Review:** I’ve been using this serum for 12 days. First a bit of background on my skin: I used to have a horrible case of acne scars and dark marks all over my face. There was not a square inch of skin on my face that didn’t have old or new blemishes and dark marks from hormonal acne (deep pustule type, nothing that comes to a head or can be squeezed, and leaves scars whether I touch it or not). My skin unfortunately produces a great deal of melanin in response to any kind of trauma so the spots are several shades darker than my normal skin color and extremely noticeable. It was so bad that a complete stranger on the street made a comment to me once and that day I was wearing full makeup; that’s how noticeable and visible the hyperpigmentation was. I had to address the active breakouts first and once under control, I tackled the dark marks with Melano CC (thanks to this sub!!) which made a huge difference, albeit it took months to slowly work, and then Cos de Baha tranexamic acid which helped to further lighten the marks. IME however, the Cos de Baha is much more effective on newer blemishes.
I’ve posted pics of the left side and right side of my face after 12 days of using this product. I am completely bare face, no makeup whatsoever and no camera filters (sorry for bad phone camera quality). I suck at taking selfies but sacrificed myself for this sub so the review could be more helpful lol. I’m somewhat satisfied with the right side of my face as much of my dark spots have cleared up following the Melano and Cos de Baha; however my left side still has vestiges of dark marks on the cheek and chin (circled in red). I felt that the Melano, with its lower Vitamin C content of 3%, long ago maxed out its effects therefore I went for this product because it’s a lot stronger at 23%.
Do I notice a difference after only 12 days? Yes, the marks on my left cheek have ‘broken’ up in a sense, it used to be a homogenous larger blotch and now broken up into smaller separate pieces if that makes sense. Sorry I don’t have a picture from the first day of taking it but since it’s only day 12 right now I thought I’d post a picture and then update it in another 2 weeks if people are interested in a comparison. I’m really happy with the progress so far especially as Melano took so long to work for me, although tbf it’s a solid product and worked a miracle at the time.
The Vitamin C 23 is NOT for everyone. 23% is extremely strong and will cause a negative reaction if your skin is sensitive and not used to strong products. I’ve used tretinoin .05% in the past and other acid peely type products so my skin handled this serum just fine. My mom on the other hand experienced redness, tightness and irritation and stopped after two uses. You need to use a LOT of moisturizer with this product as your skin will feel tacky, sticky, and then tight following application. There is hyaluronic acid in it but it is still very much drying probably due to the high Vit C content.
There is no artificial fragrance (a huge plus for me and I’m happy COSRX omitted it) I’ve seen some complain about a hot dog smell, it does have a waft of sausage when you open the bottle but once applied to the face the scent disappears. Per instructions the bottle must be kept in the fridge and not be exposed to light, it is meant to be used within 2 months as it will oxidise quickly. I’ve been extremely careful about this and my serum is still nice and clear, no oxidisation so far.
**Price**: Got a Black Friday deal for $15.75, Ulta sells it for $25; Stylevana, Yesstyle and the like have discounted prices