Camu Camu Power C x 30 Vitamin C Brightening Sleeping Mask

Before we discuss sleeping masks, let us state up front that this is essentially a standard moisturizer that contains more skin-irritating alcohol than it does state-of-the-art anti-aging ingredients. It's not a must-have product for your routine, overnight or any time.

In essence, this mask is nothing more than an okay moisturizer that contains more alcohol than beneficial ingredients (and this type of alcohol can trigger free-radical damage). For certain, it doesn't contain any ingredients that propel the practice of beauty sleep to gorgeous new heights.

This mask's star ingredient, at least according to the company, is camu camu, listed by its Latin name Myrciaria dubia. The big claim is that camu camu contains 30 times more vitamin C than an orange. Even if camu camu does have more vitamin C than an orange, so what? Kiwi has more vitamin C than an orange, too, as do papayas, bell peppers, and strawberries.

The vitamin C numbers game may seem impressive, but the formula would be more impressive if it contained a form of pure, stabilized vitamin C rather than a plant extract that contains the vitamin. Depending on how the plant extract was cultivated, stored, and then processed for inclusion in this product, who knows how much vitamin C remains?

On the other hand, and somewhat irrelevant for the skin, research has shown that components in camu camu juice can have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefit when consumed (Source: Journal of Cardiology, October 2008, pages 127–132).

In the end, your skin isn't missing a beautiful awakening if you go to sleep without wearing this mask!