Antipodes Brightening Vitamin C skincare range

Where I got it

I am very grateful for these PR samples gifted to me by Antipodes Skincare. I have used Antipodes skincare years ago and I still have some of their cleansers and serums on rotation. Then their team reached out to see if I was interested in trying their Vitamin C range for brightening, and I put my hand up right away. They so kindly sent me their entire Vitamin C brightening range which consists of a gel cleanser, a serum, an eye cream, and a gel cream moisturiser. I would say that the name of all these products is very appealing to my combination skin. The Vitamin C range is priced between $35-$60, and you can find Antipodes products on their website, Farmers, Chemist Warehouse, Life Pharmacy, etc.

What I got

This is the Antipodes Skincare Brightening Vitamin C range – Gospel Vitamin C Skin-Glow Gel Cleanser, Glow Ritual Vitamin C Serum With Plant Hyaluronic Acid, Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream and Diem Vitamin C Pigment-Correcting Water Cream. From the Antipodes website “Preserve, enhance, and elevate the health of your visage with brightening skincare featuring the power of nature-sourced vitamin C. Our Skin-Brightening range is certified vegan and features sustainably sourced compounds to achieve your all-day golden hour glow.” 

Gospel Vitamin C Skin-Glow Gel Cleanser ($35.20 for 200ml). Kakadu plum, with up to 100 times the Vitamin C of oranges, joins antioxidant compound Vinanza® Grape & Kiwi to offer brighter, healthier-looking skin, Lotus flower, olive squalane oil and essential fats from New Zealand meadowfoam luxuriously soften skin and replenish the skin’s essential lipid barrier. With a refreshing pure plant fragrance of vanilla pod and mandarin. Suited to most skin types, especially oily and combination. Perfect for dull skin. Antioxidant-rich Vinanza® Grape & Kiwi is clinically shown to help improve the appearance of skin by targeting skin redness and pigmentation.* (*Independent study by New Zealand Extracts (2012): The eight-week clinical study involving 10 women showed Vinanza® Grape & Kiwi helps improve skin appearance). Kakadu plum has been shown to contain up to 100 times the level of Vitamin C in oranges*. (*Up to 5300mg per 100g versus 53g of oranges).

Ingredients: Aqua (water), sodium coco-sulfate, lauryl glucoside, glycerin, glyceryl oleate, decyl glucoside, Terminalia ferdinandiana (kakadu plum) fruit extract, Nelumbo nucifera (lotus) seed extract, Hibiscus sabdariffa (hibiscus) flower extract, Vitis vinifera (grape) seed extract, Actinidia deliciosa (kiwifruit) fruit extract, squalane (olive) extract, Phormium tenax (harakeke) extract, Limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, Bisabolol, citric acid, potassium sorbate, gluconolactone, sodium benzoate, sodium chloride, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, parfum: limonene, linalool, coumarin

Glow Ritual Vitamin C Serum With Plant Hyaluronic Acid ($40 for 30ml). Vitamin C-rich Kakadu plum joins Vinanza Grape & Kiwi to address pigmentation, help brighten skin, and protect against oxidative stress. The benefits of Vitamin C for the skin are many – Vitamin C can help protect, illuminate, and boost collagen for skin that looks radiant and full of life. Bakuchiol, a gentle and natural retinol alternative, encourages smoother, firmer-looking skin while plant-based hyaluronic acid boosts moisture for a plumped visage. The ultra-clean, natural formula offers instant radiance and defends skin against the signs of early aging, while the pure plant fragrance of vanilla pod and mandarin energises the senses. Wear this Vitamin C face gel on its own under your moisturiser for an all-day luminous glow. 

Ingredients: Aqua (water), glycerin, Terminalia ferdinandiana (kakadu plum) fruit extract, bakuchiol, sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), Vitis vinifera (grape) seed extract, Actinidia deliciosa (kiwi) fruit extract, Persea gratissima (avocado pear) oil, lecithin, potassium sorbate, CI 77019 (mica), CI 77491 (iron oxide red), CI 77891 (titanium dioxide), sodium phytate, sodium acrylates copolymer, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, alcohol, parfum (coumarin, limonene, linalool)

Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream ($60 for 30ml). Pure 23K gold flakes impart a warm, healthy glow while helping to calm stressed skin. New Zealand kiwi fruit oil, rich in vitamin C, adds immediate moisture and helps softens fine lines. Revolutionary antioxidant Vinanza®Grape and Kiwifruit skin brightens and lighten the under-eye area. Fragrance-free and suited to most skin types.

Ingredients: Aqua (spring water), Persea gratissima (avocado pear) oil, glycerine, cetearyl glucoside; cetearyl alcohol (coconut derived), stearic acid (vegetable), glyceryl stearate, tocopherol (Vitamin E); Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, gold pearl pigment (mica), dehydroacetic acid; benzyl alcohol, Daucus carota (carrot) seed oil, Actinidia chinensis (New Zealand kiwi fruit) seed oil, Borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, bisabolol, Vitis vinifera (Marlborough sauvignon blanc Vinanza® Grape) seed extract, Gold (23k pure gold flakes).

Diem Vitamin C Pigment-Correcting Water Cream ($47.20 for 60ml). Re-energize dull skin with this daytime formulation that features Kakadu plum, nature’s richest source of Vitamin C, for a bright, youthful-looking visage. Plant hyaluronic acid joins bakuchiol – a natural alternative to retinol – to deliver a plumped, fresh appearance. With the refreshing fragrance of vanilla pod and mandarin, Diem is suited to all skin types. With peptides, scientifically shown to help target pigmentation*. *Melanostatine™ 5 Kakadu plum has been shown to contain up to 100 times the level of Vitamin C in oranges. (Up to 5300mg/100g versus up to 53mg/100g of oranges).

Ingredients: Aqua (water), glycerin, Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, cetearyl olivate, sodium acrylates copolymer, sorbitan olivate, bisabolol, parfum, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, Persea gratissima (avocado pear) oil, Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, Limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), nonapeptide-1, Terminalia ferdinandiana (kakadu plum) fruit extract, bakuchiol, Phormium tenax (harakeke) extract, dextran, lecithin, citric acid, CI77019 (mica), CI77891 (titanum dioxide), CI 77491 (iron oxide), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, gluconolactone, benzyl alcohol, butylene glycol, dehydroacetic acid, limonene

How I find it

Let’s talk about these products in order of their place in my skincare routine. First of all, the Gospel Vitamin C Skin-Glow Gel Cleanser comes in a pump bottle which is super convenient. I often use one pump for the morning cleanse and two pumps for my evening second cleanse because I love giving my face a massage for the second cleanse to make sure my cleanser has some time to work any remaining dirt from my face. This cleanser does lather up a little bit when mixed with water, but it is a non-stripping, non-drying lather. My skin feels clean, but not stripped dry after rinsing off.

After cleansing, we move on to the Glow Ritual Vitamin C Serum With Plant Hyaluronic Acid. The serum has a hint of shimmer to give you that extra glow boost. I like to apply a brightening toner of an AHA toner at night, and then I use a full dropper of serum for my entire face and neck area. When the serum is applied and spread out, you can see only a hint of shimmer, so there is no need to worry about looking sparkly. The serum is light but still has a nice thickness to it. It sinks into the skin easily and it gives very good surface hydration.

Now I have already used the Kiwi Seed Gold Luminous Eye Cream before and was really impressed by it. Firstly, the size of this eye cream is 30ml which is double the size of your usual eye cream, which makes this $60 eye cream quite a good deal. However, I’ve always been under the impression that I don’t need a separate eye cream because my face moisturiser is perfectly fine for my eye area. However, this eye cream has a really light hint of brightening particles to help with brightening up the undereye area. This jar of eye cream will last me a very long time and I would potentially use this on other parts of my face where it feels dry. I would say this is a medium-weight eye cream, not too balmy and thick but also not a lightweight eye gel, therefore it is suitable for most skin types.

Lastly, we have the Diem Vitamin C Pigment-Correcting Water Cream. This cream was a little creamier than I have expected. I was expecting a semi-translucent gel cream, but this cream is similar to the eye cream but without the gold flakes. The cream has that same honey-yellow colour to it and I’m not a big fan of this scent. The cream leaves my skin moisturised and plump. I need to wait a couple of minutes before I apply my SPF during the day.

Overall

I really enjoy using the entire range of this brightening range and my favourite items would be the cleanser and the serum. The gel cleanser is an easy product to incorporate into an existing skincare routine and it is suitable for all skin types. As for the serum, I love the texture and the sheer glow it leaves. I could easily apply this over my moisturiser where I want a little more glow.

The overall experience of these products feels luxurious – the glass bottles, the orange and gold tones of the packaging, and the golden tones of the serum and creams all contributed to the lovely experience. The products are gentle and suitable for most skin types without being harsh with actives and acids. Brightening is not only about whitening the skin, but general brightness of the skin and healthy-looking skin, and I think by using these products consistently, you can achieve that. Personally, I would add a retinol product at night as well as a niacinamide product to the routine to further strengthen the skin and encourage cell turnover. Don’t forget SPF during the day, otherwise, everything you do would be a waste of time and money!