Generally speaking, thousands of glowing reviews on any product at any given website make me extremely suspicious. Is it all generated by bots? Is it spam from the company itself? Were people paid hundreds of dollars to type out all these five-star opinions? I don't know, but it sure looks too good to be true. So I was indeed very skeptical when I received this
InstaNatural Advanced Formula Vitamin C Serum* ($14.22 for 1 oz/ 30ml on Amazon.com), which boasts 4.5 star rating from over 3,000 reviewers. Crazy, huh?
InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum claims to hydrate the skin, clear up blemishes and even out skintone for younger-looking skin. It contains 20% a stable form of Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), hyaluronic acid, ferulic acid, Vitamin E, algae and green tea extracts, as well as lots of plant oils: rosehip oil, seabuckthorn oil, argan oil, jojoba, carrot seed and apricot kernel, all in a liquid base of water and organic aloe vera.
If you've ever used a pure aloe vera gel, the consistency of InstaNatural Vitamin C Serum is pretty much the same. It's a lightweight liquidy gel dispensed from a dropper that absorbs into the skin incredibly fast - faster than any gel serum I've tried in the past, it actually behaves on my skin more like an essence. The serum is a light orange and has a lovely citrus scent from the pink grapefruit essential oil used in the formula; thankfully, the fragrance doesn't irritate my skin.
I've been using it every night for the past three weeks and you know what, I'm actually pretty impressed. While Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, even at such a high percentage, isn't the most effective form of Vitamin C, I have noticed that my freckles, which were getting gradually darker over the course of the summer, are actually quite a bit lighter and less pronounced than before. I have one particularly dark spot under my right eye, and it's definitely lighter now, as are all the different post-acne hyperpigmentation marks I'm constantly trying to eradicate. My skin is overall more even in tone, and I can see and feel that it's better hydrated as well - I haven't had a dry patch anywhere on my face in a really long time.
While I feel that these results aren't anything extraordinary and could be achieved with Vitamin C products from other brands as well, I think it's incredible that you can purchase a serum that's simply jam-packed with incredible ingredients with very few fillers for less than 15 bucks. I've also been testing the
InstaNatural Premium Hydration 5% Hyaluronic Acid Serum* ($14.22 for 2 oz/ 60 ml, double the size of the Vitamin C one), and while I don't like it as much and still prefer my
Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion (which utilizes Hydrolyzed Hylauronic Acid that has smaller molecules and absorbs better into the skin for greater efficacy), again, I think it's a lovely product for the price, and so lightweight that even the oiliest skintypes would enjoy reaching for it.
This just goes to show that good skincare with clinically proven active ingredients doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, and doesn't have to come from Sephora or a department store. I don't think I'll now start shopping for all of my skincare on Amazon, but I'm surprised at these little gems and would consider trying more products from InstaNatural in the future - I just wish they posted their full ingredients lists more prominently in the product description.
Have you ever bought any skincare products from Amazon? Are there any small and relatively unknown skincare brands that you're a fan of?Disclaimer: I received the two serums featured in this post complimentary for testing purposes from the brand in exchange for an honest review on Amazon.com. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!
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