C-Firma Day Serum

Drunk Elephant's C-Firma Day Serum is an interesting—and very good—fragrance-free vitamin C treatments that goes beyond the average with its formula and benefits for skin. The familiar 15% ascorbic acid is joined by antioxidant ferulic acid but Drunk Elephant kept going, adding several other antioxidants, reparative ingredients, and lightweight plant oils. The result is a comprehensive vitamin C treatment that is suitable for most skin types—those with oily to very oily skin may prefer a lighter formula.

We should note that Drunk Elephant recently reformulated C-Firma Day Serum (per the brand, it was to create a thicker texture) and upgraded the packaging to a bottle with a twist-up pump dispenser. This review is of the new, reformulated and repackaged formula.

Let's discuss that 15% concentration of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). There is an incredible amount of research around vitamin Cs benefit for skin, particularly for its ability to improve the appearance of sun damaged, uneven skin tone and ability to strengthen the skin's barrier. Vitamin C can also help boost the free-radical protection ability of your sunscreen when worn underneath it (Skin Research & Technology, 2008 and The Journal of Pathology, 2007). At a pH of just under 3.5, this impressive formula is right for stability and effectiveness, too.

The antioxidant ferulic acid boosts the UV and free-radical defense of vitamin C and provides additional stability benefits for the additional antioxidants in this formula (International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2000 and Anticancer Research, 1999).

Those centerpiece ingredients aside, you'll also find pumpkin, hyaluronic acid (as sodium hyaluronate—the ideal form for topical application), green tea, pomegranate and licorice root extracts, just to name a few. There is nothing lacking here, and the addition of the brands' favored marula oil adds moisture to skin. It's just enough that those with combination to dry skin will likely find it lightweight—as opposed to heavy or oily—but as mentioned above, those with oily or very oily skin may prefer a more fluid serum.

We should note that the serum has a golden hue. This is typically worrisome for vitamin C serums, as it can denote that this air-sensitive ingredient has oxidized, but the ingredients themselves—particularly the anti-irritant tetrahydro curcuminoids—naturally have a warm, yellowish color. With the air-restrictive packaging coupled with the presence of such ingredients, we weren't concerned with its stability.

Drunk Elephant recommends that C-Firma Day Serum be used during the daytime under your sunscreen, which will certainly aid its ability to protect your skin from UV damage, as stated above. However, this may also be used in the evening—especially if you enjoy the extra bit of moisture it provides. Skin can benefit from the ingredients this product contains at any time, not just during daylight hours.

There are many vitamin C treatments on the market, some of them hyper-expensive, but Drunk Elephant managed to bring something unique to this seemingly crowded category. C-Firma Day Serum earns our highest recommendation for its potent level of ascorbic acid coupled with a comprehensive series of additional anti-aging ingredients and lightweight non-fragrant plant oils. At its price, it is also more than reasonable for its exceptional formula (especially when compared to pricier but still good alternatives like SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic).