Summer Fridays' CC Me Serum Makes Dull Skin Glow

As a shopping editor who tries out new products all the time, it's my job to figure out which beauty products deserve holy grail status, and which are better left on the shelf. Summer Fridays' CC Me Vitamin C + Niacinamide Serum is absolutely in the former category. The lightweight formula makes my usually dry, dehydrated, and dull winter skin glow after just a single use; I personally consider it to be one of the best vitamin C serums on the market (read: I'm already on my second bottle). Allow me to wax poetic about why.

The Formula

Summer Friday's best-selling vitamin C serum is formulated with two potent forms of vitamin C alongside niacinamide—an ingredient you might also recognize by the name "vitamin B"—which helps strengthen your skin barrier and reduce the look of dark spots, making it kind of a superhero ingredient when paired up with the
brightening power of vitamin C. The CC Me serum is also made with 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, which provides antioxidant protection to your skin as you wear it. The inclusion of squalane adds a boost of hydration, too, and the formula is both vegan and cruelty-free. Consider it an amped-up version of your regular old brightening serum, chock-full of good-for-skin ingredients. 

The Texture

While some serums can be on the sticky side, this one from Summer Fridays is the opposite. It smooths evenly onto the skin without feeling tacky in the slightest. It's made with all skin types in mind and is designed to be non-comedogenic, which means that it won't clog your pores. 

My Review

While many vitamin C serums leave my skin feeling slightly irritated with a burning sensation, this one doesn't. I don't apply it every night—more like three or four times a week—but when I do, I find that it doesn't cause redness. And while I can't speak to how it sits under makeup (I only apply it at night), I've found that it doesn't cause my night cream to pill or separate. However, using vitamin C at any point in your skincare routine does mean that your daytime SPF is even more important, so I make sure to apply sunscreen religiously every single morning. I should note that this serum is more heavily scented than other products in my routine—it's citrusy and a little floral—though I don't find that the scent has been an issue over the two months that I've been using it.

I have deep-set acne scars around my chin area, and my goal with vitamin C was to get my skin to a place where I could rely on a simple tinted moisturizer or a concealer rather than a fuller-coverage foundation every single day. For me, using this serum a few times a week for the past month got my skin to that point. The scars on my face appear less pigmented, and any textured skin has been slowly but surely disappearing.

In short: I consider this to be a great baseline vitamin C serum. It doesn't work as quickly as others that I've used, but what I lose in speed I gain in my skin's overall comfort, even texture, and tone. It's pricey at $68, but I found that one jar lasts a few months. 

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