All scans / Serums / La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance
La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance ingredients: is it worth it?
Potent but unforgiving: this is a high-impact vitamin C + salicylic acid serum in a strongly alcoholic, fragranced base that trades comfort and gentleness for fast results.
Potent but unforgiving: this is a high-impact vitamin C + salicylic acid serum in a strongly alcoholic, fragranced base that trades comfort and gentleness for fast results.
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The efficacy score is driven by a likely ~12% L-ascorbic acid in the second INCI position, supported by vitamin E, humectants, and a true leave-on salicylic acid exfoliant, but penalized by potential instability from water-based ascorbic acid, the presence of denatured alcohol high in the list, and a silicone-heavy, fragranced base that limits tolerability, especially for sensitive or dry skin.
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DemythSkin rates La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance 4.5/5 for efficacy and 3.6/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Parfum, Fragrance. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (11)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Aqua, Water, Eau, Ascorbic Acid, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Potassium Hydroxide, Polysilicone-11, Silica, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Poloxamer 338, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Laureth-7, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Bis-Peg/Ppg-16/16 Peg/Ppg-16/16 Dimethicone, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoalkane, Tocopherol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Salicylic Acid, Parfum, Fragrance.
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Aqua, Water, Eau
- Primary solvent base
- Ascorbic Acid
- Vitamin C antioxidant active
- Dimethicone
- Silicone emollient and slip agent
- Glycerin
- Humectant for hydration
- Alcohol Denat.
- Solvent and penetration enhancer
- Potassium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster (alkali)
- Polysilicone-11
- Film-forming texture enhancer
- Silica
- Absorbent and texture modifier
- Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
- Emollient ester
- Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
- Emulsifier and surfactant
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- Humectant hyaluronic acid salt
- Adenosine
- Skin-conditioning signaling molecule
- Poloxamer 338
- Nonionic surfactant and emulsifier
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
- Polymer thickener and stabilizer
- Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
- Low-weight humectant
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- Emollient and texture enhancer
- Caprylyl Glycol
- Humectant and preservative booster
- Citric Acid
- pH adjuster and chelating agent
- Laureth-7
- Nonionic surfactant and emulsifier
- Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- Chelating agent for stability
- Bis-Peg/Ppg-16/16 Peg/Ppg-16/16 Dimethicone
- Emulsifying silicone and dispersant
- Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
- Peptide-based soothing active
- Xanthan Gum
- Natural thickener and stabilizer
- Pentylene Glycol
- Humectant and solvent
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Ascorbic Acid: Burns et al., Topical vitamin C improves clinical signs of photoaging and UV-induced damage via antioxidant and collagen-stimulating mechanisms.
Salicylic Acid: Kligman et al., Salicylic acid is a keratolytic beta-hydroxy acid effective for comedonal acne and improving skin texture in leave-on formulations.
Adenosine: Lee et al., Topical adenosine has demonstrated modest wrinkle-improving effects through dermal fibroblast modulation.
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 with a close formula
81% formula match, by ingredient list. Labels don't state amounts, so strengths may differ.
La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance: common questions
Is La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance worth it?
La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance scores 4.5 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Gold Standard) and 3.6 out of 5.0 for safety (Mostly Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Potent but unforgiving: this is a high-impact vitamin C + salicylic acid serum in a strongly alcoholic, fragranced base that trades comfort and gentleness for fast results.
What are the key active ingredients in La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance?
La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Ascorbic Acid, Salicylic Acid.
Does La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance as documented irritants: Alcohol Denat., Parfum, Fragrance. This product does contain fragrance.
How is La Roche-Posay Pure 12% Vitamin C Serum Wrinkle Reduction Radiance 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.
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