Follain Brightening Serum: Vitamin C Boost | Vitamin C, Niacinamide, Boost Radiance, Brighten Dull Skin, Help Even Skin Tone, Reduce Pores, All Skin Types, Cruelty Free, Clean Beauty, 1 fl oz

While I was applying this serum, I kept thinking that this stuff is like the serum that you often find in those liquidy facial masks that make you look like Edvard Munch's "The Scream." It's clear and has the same consistency. It's runny but spreads across the face easily. Once applied, I can feel it slightly firming up my skin and shrinking pores. Once it dries, my face then has a nice healthy glow and feels much more supple.The only thing that I'm not completely thrilled about is that it does cause my face to turn a bit red. It does not sting at all or feel tight. One of those things that I only notice by looking in a mirror. No burning or any other sort of sensation. Just a bit of redness as though I've just come in from being out in the sun. To be honest, I really don't mind this providing that I'm using this on one of my stay at home days. I understand that it's the vitamin C doing its thing dissolving upper layers of old skin and other good things for the facial area. I'm willing to put up with that for those benefits. I mean, it does say that it brightens the skin. They weren't kidding. It does make my skin feel and look good, outside of the reddishness. Even then, if I do need to go out, being at the beach, it just looks like I sat outside for a bit. Totally normal here. But I know not to wear this before actually hitting the beach or I'll end up with a real burn. Once the redness is gone, my face looks and feels much healthier and continues to glow.

This Follain Brightening Serum is a clear serum that feels lightweight and doesn’t have added fragrance. I don’t smell anything from the ingredients when applied to my face. This serum feels slightly tacky on my skin, but that feeling disappears when I apply my face cream. Most Vitamin C serums I’ve used are creamy and have silicone for a silky feel, but this is silicone free and feels weightless, making it a great for those who have issues with silicone. Also, I’ve used Vitamin C for years and it can sting, but this feels quite gentle on my sensitive skin. My impression is that this Follain serum would be especially good for a new Vitamin C serum user.This has Vitamin C with 5% 3-O Ethyl Ascorbic Acid I’m uncertain how the concentrations compare to L-Ascorbic Acid (which I use in 20% concentration but worked up over time). I don’t know if 5% is a low concentration (as it would be for L-Ascorbic Acid) or if it’s perhaps better utilized by the skin. And I can’t yet fully gauge results as it can take many weeks of daily use to see if a Vitamin C serum fades dark spots and evens my skin, brightens my tone, improves texture and so on. I do know that a 20% L-Ascorbic Acid serum is likely to sting a new user, and I started at 5% L-Ascorbic Acid. So, at a minimum, this Follain seems good for someone new to a Vitamin C serum.Also, this Follain serum seems good for those like me who use higher Vitamin C concentrations as it goes beyond being simply a Vitamin C serum. It has niacinamide for brightening and AHAs (acids from sugary fruits) for exfoliation, more even skin tone and improved skin texture. I’ve been using this serum and my skin looks particularly good lately. It’s been looking radiant, smooth and soft and a newer dark spot I noticed a couple months ago is fading. But I can’t break out exactly which benefits I can attribute directly to this serum as I use a variety of products. I do think, however, that it has effective ingredients (Vitamin C, niacinamide and AHAs) that provide real benefits, and I love that the ingredients rate low risk. 5 stars.

I appreciate Follain including the percentage of the 3-O Ethyl Ascorbic Acid in this Brightening Serum. Often times, makers fail to provide users with these details. While research pertaining to this vitamin C derivative is still debatable in terms of its effectiveness, this form of vitamin C is considered very stable in both water and oil. When combined with other antioxidants (vitamin E, ferulic acid, resveratol), they each can enhance the free radical and skin benefiting effects. However, this particular serum, instead has niacinamide mixed in with several citrus extracts, fruit oils, and a variety of other plant-based ingredients. There is nothing inherently wrong with this formulation; just noting the contents.This one comes in a simple, no-frills, 1oz white plastic pump. Easy to dispense, and protects the serum from repeated exposure to air and light. The serum doesn’t have a discernible scent, to me. The gel is light and melts into the skin quickly and easily without any sort of stickiness or greasy residue. Leaves me matte.While I like the near odorless, clear, lightweight gel texture of the serum, this one just didn’t do anything for me. I was able to tolerate it, even though it is loaded with all sorts of citrus extras (I have very sensitive skin). But, ultimately, I did not see any brightening or enhancing effects akin to other vitamin C focused serums I’ve used.

This is an excellent facial serum that comes in a pump format that works flawlessly. This is a clear somewhat runny serum that you will need to dispense carefully on your fingers so it doesn't run off into the sink or drop in the floor below. It would be nice if it was just a little bit thicker.It goes on smooth and feels great on the skin. It's a bit oily at first but then the skin just feels nice and smooth, soft and supple. The recommendation on the package is to add a moisturizer on top of it. While that might make sense and might be desirable for some, that seems like too much goo on the face for me. This serum worked just fine on its own and when applied in the evening it lasted all night and well into the next day. My face felt just as smooth and soft in the morning as it did a few minutes after the serum was applied. Adding a moisturizer on top of this would just be too much and make my skin feel weighed down.Overall, this is great stuff. I think it is good as a stand alone product with no need to layer anything on top of it but your experience or preference may vary.