SKINCARE | FirstBase Skincare Double Dose Vitamin C Serum

Press sample

I know that single product reviews are kind of old school, but what if something was so fantastic that it deserved to be placed on a pedestal all by itself? Founded in the midst of the craziness of 2020 by friends April Ferguson and Beth Hunt, Canadian brand FirstBase Skincare launched its first and only product last year and it is incredible. The world of skincare is a saturated one and the fact that the only product FirstBase has is a vitamin C serum MUST mean it is REALLY something and I am here to tell you that it is and WHY!

Firstly, a little more about the brand itself! FirstBase is focused on building a holistic range of products that aim to support, mind, gut and skin health using proven clinical actives. I understand this to mean that their skincare will improve skin from the inside out which as I get older, I am all about! This vitamin C serum is also vegan, contains no synthetic fragrance or endocrine disrupters (let me tell ya, it smells AMAZING!) and is formulated without parabens, sulfates, silicone and phthalates.

What makes this vitamin C serum different than others? The very first thing that spoke to me was the fact that this product is ECOCERT-certified. I have mentioned this certification before and it is an expensive one to get and has to be done per product. This means that 95% of the ingredients in this serum are naturally derived and that a minimum of 10% of all ingredients /product (even water) is organically produced!

ECOCERT is an independent company based in France that does on-site inspections to ensure that all environmental and social requirements for this certification are met. From my days in Tata Harper, I know this to be a very rigorous process and while it doesn't mean that a product isn't good if it doesn't have the Ecocertification, it is something that sets a product like this apart from the thousands of others on the market as you now have a very tough and respected third party vouching for the ingredients and socio-environmental processes and effects that have contributed to the creation of this product.

The second thing that sets this vitamin C serum apart is the fact that it is also a hyaluronic acid serum so you have a dose of hydration working in tandem with a microencapsulated and very stable derivative of vitamin C in the form of ascorbyl glucoside to give a brighter, more revived and plumped complexion. Ascorbyl glucoside is vitamin C combined with glucose and broken down into pure ascorbic acid once absorbed into the skin (microencapsulation ensures this as skin is hydrophobic). This form of vitamin C has also shown through in-vitro studies that it exhibits all three key properties we want out of our vitamin C: antioxidant protection, collagen boosting and fading hyperpigmentation (Incidecoder, April 2023). 

The third thing I really enjoyed about this serum is actually the inclusion of some interesting ingredients like Acmella oleracea extract which is a plant known as "nature's Botox" that is able to smooth wrinkles through its ability to relax facial muscles and muscle tension. This plant has also shown itself to be a low skin irritant with results in as little as two weeks (Savic et al., April 2023). As a side note, this plant is also known as the "toothache plant" for its analgesic abilities when the leaves get chewed on!

Two ingredients I thoroughly appreciated in this formulation were lotus flower extract and inulin as both promote a healthy skin microbiome which is in line with FirstBase and the importance they place on gut health! Lotus flower extract keeps the skin barrier strong by acting as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent keeping skin at a balanced pH, while inulin is a prebiotic from chicory root that prevents the growth of bad bacteria in favour of ones naturally present on the skin!

There is also baobab extract which is another hydrating ingredient with antioxidant properties as its pulp is actually rich with none other than vitamin C! It also relieves redness and inflammation while also improving skin elasticity. 

Finally, I can never resist a serum that has willow bark extract as this is nature's BHA/salicylic acid! It is gentle and effective at clearing out sebum within pores and is an ingredient I love seeing in skincare.

Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Propanediol, Sodium Citrate, Ascorbyl Glucoside (Stabilized Vitamin C), Sodium Hyaluronate, Adansonia Digitata Pulp Extract (Baobab Extract), Inulin, Alpha- Glucan Oligosaccharide, Acmella Oleracea Extract (Natural Botox/Toothache Plant), Nelumbo Nucifera Root Water (Lotus Flower), Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime Peel Oil)*, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Sorbic Acid, Xantham Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Water (Aqua), Parfum (Natural) *Ingredients from Organic Farming

The fourth and fifth things that make this serum extra special are its scent and texture as both were something I was surprised by when I first used it! The scent smells like a soft and luxurious cloud of candy. It does not linger at all and disappears in seconds, but whatever this scent is, it is delicious, makes me feel peaceful and is an instant mood booster! Now, the texture is really something! It comes out as a clear gel, but when massaged into the skin, the product gets absorbed super quickly and there is ZERO tacky finish. You may even think that you haven't used enough, but rest assured that you have! Your skin just ate it all up! My skin feels instantly smooth making this one of my now most favourite vitamin C serums to use in the mornings! I know that a lot of vitamin C serums are tacky and smell "strongly", but this serum just blew my mind when it came to these two properties that I have come to accept as "C'est la vie, that's Vitamin C!'

Final verdict: This is a pricey serum at $118 CDN, BUT I would honestly use this for the rest of my life. In terms of results, this serum maintained my skin's brightness. I rarely see huge jumps in improvement when it comes to my skin as I believe it is already at its peak, but I was using this serum for weeks leading up to getting shingles and my skin was even and bright and continued to stay that way even after I had to stop using all skincare once the shingles got really bad. I have since started using it again and I am loving my skincare routine that much more as I realize how much I have missed it! I love that this is a Canadian brand with a thoughtful formulation and is ECOCERT approved. This is only the second vitamin C serum that has made me do a double take when it comes to what I think a classic vitamin C serum should be like and I am LOVING it. It was so delightfully unexpected and I cannot wait to see what else this brand comes up with!

You can find the FirstBase Skincare Double Dose Vitamin C Serum at www.firstbaseskincare.com