All scans / Serums / ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum
ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum ingredients: is it worth it?
Expensive antioxidant support, not a miracle brightening serum.

Expensive antioxidant support, not a miracle brightening serum.
READ MORE
The efficacy score is 3.9/5: sodium ascorbate appears unusually high in the list and is paired with phosphatidylcholine, while ubiquinone, vitamin E, green tea, ectoin, ergothioneine, and soothing extracts provide a credible antioxidant system. However, the formula does not disclose the actual vitamin C concentration or finished pH, sodium ascorbate is a derivative rather than gold-standard L-ascorbic acid, and the numerous lower-list antioxidants should not be treated as high-dose treatment actives. The base is fragrance-free, includes glycerin, squalane, betaine, and emollients, and has no obvious harsh acid or alcohol issue. The brand’s clinical results are supportive but come from a small, open-label study with concurrent cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen use, so they do not prove that this serum alone caused the reported improvements.
We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Links never influence scores.
DemythSkin rates ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum 3.9/5 for efficacy and 4.6/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (15)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water/Aqua/Eau, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Squalane, Sodium Ascorbate, Ubiquinone, Ectoin, Physalis Angulata Extract, Betaine, Phosphatidylcholine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Carnosine, Centella Asiatica Extract, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Ergothioneine, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Bisabolol, Lactoferrin, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Propanediol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Mannitol, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate Visibly Improved Appearance of Facial Redness, Hyperpigmentation and Radiance
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Water/Aqua/Eau
- Solvent and formula vehicle
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- Emollient and skin conditioner
- Glycerin
- Humectant moisture binder
- Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
- Thickener and stabilizer
- Squalane
- Lightweight emollient moisturizer
- Sodium Ascorbate
- Vitamin C antioxidant derivative
- Ubiquinone
- Coenzyme Q10 antioxidant
- Ectoin
- Cell-protective osmolyte
- Physalis Angulata Extract
- Botanical antioxidant extract
- Betaine
- Humectant and osmolyte
- Phosphatidylcholine
- Lipid delivery and emulsifier
- Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
- Green tea antioxidant extract
- Carnosine
- Antioxidant peptide-like dipeptide
- Centella Asiatica Extract
- Soothing botanical extract
- Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract
- Polyphenol antioxidant extract
- Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract
- Botanical antioxidant extract
- Ergothioneine
- Antioxidant amino acid
- Dunaliella Salina Extract
- Algae antioxidant extract
- Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
- Pomegranate antioxidant extract
- Bisabolol
- Soothing skin conditioner
- Lactoferrin
- Protein-derived conditioning agent
- Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
- Humectant mushroom extract
- Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
- Emulsifier and solubilizer
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Fatty alcohol thickener
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Sodium Ascorbate: Official product information identifies sodium ascorbate as the encapsulated vitamin C system; a multicenter evaluation studied the serum for facial photodamage over 12 weeks.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract: Official product information identifies green tea as an antioxidant component.
Squalane: The ingredient list places squalane near the top, supporting emollient moisturization.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper serum that scores as high or higher
A different formula for the same concern (antioxidant protection) that scores at least as high on both efficacy and safety.

ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum: common questions
Is ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum worth it?
ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum scores 3.9 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.6 out of 5.0 for safety (Very Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Expensive antioxidant support, not a miracle brightening serum.
What are the key active ingredients in ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum?
ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin's analysis found no flagged irritants in ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum. It scores 4.6 out of 5.0 for safety.
How is ALASTIN C-RADICAL Defense Antioxidant Serum scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
Free scores for every product in the database, or see them on Sephora, Ulta and Amazon with the Chrome extension.