Melasma Is No Match for This $23 K-Beauty Serum That Makes Skin "Fresh and Pretty"
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Shoppers also say it's "better than anything" for hyperpigmentation.
It’s hardly fair to judge a skincare product by its price tag. That said, a vitamin C serum that costs less than a subpar airport sandwich spurs my inner skeptic — particularly because many of the most effective C-spiked products I’ve tried cost four times as much.
The $23 Missha Vita C Plus Spot Correcting and Firming Ampoule, however, boasts a seriously impressive list of ingredients, with many of skincare’s most lauded anti-agers and hyperpigmentation-fighters at the helm. The serum hails from a Korean beauty brand known for affordable yet effective formulas. FWIW: Elizabeth Olsen, Missha’s recently appointed brand ambassador, cites the Vita C serum as a favorite product — so do Amazon shoppers, many of whom swear its brightening, firming effect is unparalleled.
Amazon
$23
The Missha Vita C Plus Spot Correcting and Firming Ampoule is a potent vitamin C serum that addresses a handful of skin issues associated with aging. Specifically, it treats hyperpigmentation of all kinds — e.g. melasma, age spots, post-inflammatory marks — and improves uneven texture and tone. Additionally, the serum restores lost elasticity to ultimately impart a more youthful, brighter-looking complexion.
The titular ingredient, vitamin C, is featured in not only one, but three forms: L-ascorbic acid, often considered the most potent form; ethyl ascorbyl ether, a derivative of ascorbic acid that may mitigate blue light damage, among other things; and ascorbyl glucoside, which can fend off discoloration. Together, at a 33 percent total concentration, they deliver peak vitamin C benefits. In addition to brighter skin and reduced discoloration, vitamin C also “boosts firmness by regulating collagen production,” dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry, MD, previously shared with InStyle.
Tranexamic acid, a lesser-known skin-brightener with dermatologist acclaim, particularly as it relates to treating melasma, is also found in the formula. As Dr. Shari Marchbein, MD, previously told InStyle, “serums…that contain this ingredient have a lot of potential to help improve hyperpigmentation."
Rounding out the stellar roster of ingredients: niacinamide, a radiance-boosting B vitamin. "Niacinamide has been shown in several studies to help reduce some signs of skin aging,” dermatologist Dr. Hadley King, MD, previously told InStyle, citing improvement in texture and tone as two key benefits. "Some studies have found that it may help reduce the appearance of age spots and other forms of skin discoloration."
According to one reviewer, who says the serum fades melasma, their hyperpigmentation has become “less noticeable,” since using the product. Thanks to its glow-inducing formula, “I wake up looking fresh and pretty,” the shopper shares. Another shopper cites improvement in texture and enhanced radiance, calling their skin “brighter and refreshed after use.” Yet another fan says Missha’s serum “comfortably” tightens skin laxity. Finally, another shopper, who is on their fourth bottle of the serum, says it fades acne-induced hyperpigmentation marks “better than anything,” calling it a “holy grail” product.
For a brightening, firming serum — that, frankly, could likely sell for twice as much ¸— shop the Missha Vita C Plus Spot Correcting and Firming Ampoule at Amazon, where it’s $23.
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Read the original article on InStyle.
