Vibriance is a brand that describes itself as “Where Science Meets Skincare” and their most popular product is their Super C Serum. The brand describes this serum as an “all-in-one hydrating serum that targets age spots, wrinkles, & more.”
But does topical vitamin C actually improve skin quality? Does Vibriance’s serum have other research-backed ingredients for anti-aging? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? And why do we disagree with the brand's claim about the quality of their vitamin C?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Vibriance Super C Serum to give our take on whether or not the product is likely to have an anti-aging effect, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also highlight a questionable marketing claim made by the brand that we disagree with, and compare Vibriance Super C Serum to other popular anti-aging serums to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Questionable and unproven marketing claim on brand website
- Contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Vibriance Super C Serum
Questionable Health Claim
Vibriance claims that their vitamin C serum uses the highest quality vitamin C on the market:
3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid is the type of vitamin C used by Vibriance.
This compound has been clinically shown to have an anti-aging effect when used at a concentration of 30%, but Vibriance doesn’t publish its concentration so we can’t determine whether the brand uses an effective dose.
We cannot identify any clinical studies comparing this type of vitamin C to the more commonly-used type of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or proving it’s more effective.
In our opinion, it's a red flag when cosmetic brands make uncited health claims.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Vibriance Super C Serum are shown below:
Beyond vitamin C, there are a number of research-backed active ingredients in this formulation.
Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, which was described as a “skin rejuvenating biomedicine” in a 2018 medical review due to its ability to reduce wrinkles.
Caffeine is another effective ingredient, as a clinical trial published in the British Journal of Dermatology found that topical application of caffeine can reduce skin damage during UV ray exposure.
Panthenol is a type of vitamin B5 that was shown in a medical review published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science to significantly improve skin moisture content, making it an effective hydrating ingredient.
Acetyl glucosamine is another clinically proven skin moisturizing ingredient.
Unfortunately, there are also a few ingredients in this formulation we recommend avoiding.
Triethanolamine is a pH balancing ingredient shown in animal studies to be toxic, as we documented in our review of another skincare serum containing this compound called Perbelle CC Cream.
Phenoxyethanol is a common synthetic preservative found in a clinical trial to be toxic to human cells.
Ethylhexylglycerin is another preservative that's clinically shown to have synergistically toxic effects when combined with phenoxyethanol.
Overall, we consider this product likely to be effective for anti-aging given its active ingredients.
We don’t currently recommend Vibriance Super C Serum given the inactive ingredients discussed above.
Super C Serum vs. Popular Anti-Aging Serums
Here's how Vibriance Super C Serum compares to other popular anti-aging serums in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum
Beyond vitamin C, contains ferulic acid which is clinically shown to enhance skin moisturization.
Healthier inactive ingredient profile.
Winner: SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum
Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Serum
Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Serum is one of the highest-quality anti-aging formulations we've reviewed on Illuminate Health.
As we documented in the linked article, the product contains many research-backed active ingredients, and is entirely free from inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy.
Winner: Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Serum
CeraVe Vitamin C Serum
Similar potential efficacy.
CeraVe's serum contains phenoxyethanol, but not ethylhexylglycerin, so we give the brand the (slight) edge from a healthiness perspective.
Winner: CeraVe Vitamin C Serum
Our Clean Skincare Pick
MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.
It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.
This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."
This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Vibriance Super C Serum Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Research-backed form of vitamin C
- Many effective active ingredients
- Should have anti-aging effect
- Should have skin-hydrating effect
- Highly positive reviews on BBB
- Highly positive reviews on Facebook
- Brand responds to customer complaints
Cons:
- Brand makes at least one uncited health claim
- Doesn't appear clinically tested
- Contains triethanolamine
- Contains two synthetic preservatives that may be toxic
