Where I got it: I ordered this from the Deciem website directly for USD$9.70. I usually get my Ordinary products from VictoriaHealth.com, but they have discontinued stocking their products, so I decided to go straight to the source.
What I got: This is a 20g tub of The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder. From The Ordinary Website: Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant that brightens the skin tone and reduces the appearance of signs of ageing. This formula offers a very fine L-Ascorbic Acid powder that visibly targets the appearance of uneven skin tone, dullness, and signs of ageing and is formulated to be mixed with other treatments (except those containing Niacinamide or EUK 134).
The format of this formula is a suspension of very fine L-Ascorbic Acid powder and, as such, provides the most direct exposure to extremely high concentrations of Vitamin C topically. With such format, a very strong tingling but the non-irritating sensation is expected during the first 1-2 weeks of use until the skin’s tolerance to such high exposure is elevated.
The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder
The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder
How I find it: It comes in a card box with a little plastic scoop for picking up the product. The powder is really really fine but rather chunky in the glass tub. It is a white powder designed to be mixed with another medium – like a serum, essence or moisturiser. The website does mention not to mix it with Niacinamide or The Ordinary’ EUK134 because it would make either product ineffective. Personally, I like to mix it with my moisturiser, which is something a little thicker in consistency because I find that by adding the powder, the consistency gets a little hard to spread and a little grippy. It kind of grips onto your face and hands. I only use no more than half a scoop because that’s all you need.
Like with any other Vitamin C products, you must use an SPF during the day. Not just SPF15, but at least SPF30 and not just from your foundation because you will never use enough to protect your face.
The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder
Overall: I have used Vitamin C serum before and they are quite notorious for being unstable and turn bad quite fast. My previously Vitamin C serum was from Paula’s choice and it was in a glass bottle with a dropper which means the product will get into contact with air which deteriorates the effectiveness of the Vitamin C. About 3 months use, the pale yellow serum darkened which means it is oxidising and less effective.
Which makes this product quite interesting. Usually L-ascorbic acid (another name for Vitamin C) is unstable in water, The Ordinary has other Vitamin C products in different suspensions and derivatives. This time, a pure L-ascorbic acid in powder form does not need to be in a base. I like how this can be versatile but it is also cumbersome to use and can affect the consistency of the product you mix it with. From The Ordinary website, this L-Ascorbic Acid in powder form is absorbed super fast and has the highest potency and very good cost per gram of product. However, this is rather high in the sensitivity scale as it is easy to cause stinging to the skin when applied.
I would say I am quite accustomed to vitamin c and acids so my skin is well seasoned. However, with such high potency in a powder form, it reacts quickly with my skin and I can feel the tingling sensation even with half a scoop of powder. I only use this in the morning because I uses retinol at night. Even though they don’t counteract each other, I try to put as little irritating products in my skin at each time as possible. So far, it is not causing my more blackheads and I do see an improvement in my overall skin tone and brightness.
