This New Luxe Serum Brings Vitamin C To Sensitive Skin

New Year, new serum — or at least that's one excuse to splurge a bit on Dr. Barbara Sturm's upcoming launch, The Good C Vitamin C Serum. Vitamin C is a perennial part of the beauty conversation. It's hailed by most dermatologists as a skin care staple for helping provide skin with antioxidants and protect against free radicals. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Sturm was receiving a lot of questions about the ingredient and, according to a press release, felt there was a lot of confusion about the use of the ingredient — specifically how to use it safely and prevent irritation.

Her response? This new serum, which features a 5% (on the lower end of the spectrum) complex of the ingredient. That 5% encompasses three forms of vitamin C — oil soluble THD ascorbate (which, it should be noted, is showing up in tons of new formulas because of its impressive stability), synthetic vitamin C in glucosidic form (aka ascorbyl glucoside), and kakadu plum. Kakadu plum is also increasingly popular. In fact, as Dr. Audrey Kunin told TZR "The kakadu plum is believed to be the most concentrated natural source of vitamin C on earth."

The serum also contains zinc, which the press release notes helps increase the absorption of vitamin C into the skin. “I developed The Good C Vitamin C Serum in response to clients who wanted the radiance-boosting effects of vitamin C in an optimum concentration, without damaging skin barrier function or causing sensitivity," Dr. Sturm explains in the press release. "My formulation combines the right chemistry of vitamin C with surrounding ingredient science to boost the skin and provides antioxidant properties that protect from free radicals and daily environmental stress while combatting pigmentation. Regular usage results in a complexion that’s healthy-looking, fresh and radiant.”

New York City-based, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Josh Zeichner is also a proponent of the ingredient, in "almost all skincare routines. Vitamin C has multiple benefits: brightening dark spots, stimulating collagen, and protecting the skin from free radical damage that contributes to premature aging," he explains in an email to TZR. Though Zeichner notes he typically recommends serums with a 10% concentration, "low concentrations may offer some benefits without causing any skin irritation."

Finally, "the Kakadu plum is known to contain high levels of vitamin C, which is why it is incorporated into skin care products. THD Ascorbate is a stabilized form of vitamin C known as a vitamin C ester. Generally speaking, it penetrates better into the skin, is less irritating, and is less susceptible to breakdown from environmental exposures like heat or UV light," he says with regards to the specific forms Dr. Sturm has chosen to use.

Pre-order The Good C serum below, and look out for the official launch on January 12.

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