Proaura Vitamin C Serum: Antioxidant Protection for Healthy Skin

£25 from Amazon

Antioxidants are a must have for good skin, they are often overlooked in favour of more glamorous ingredients like acids. But really without antioxidants, you’re not going to experience good healthy, young looking skin in the long term. I’ve really taken my skincare to the next level by incorporating some different antioxidants into my regimen. My skin looks better for it- less stressed and irritated and I swear my acne has improved. 

What the heck do antioxidants do though and why do I need them? One of the reasons that antioxidants are less talked about, I think, is that it’s harder to explain what they do in a couple of words. The aging of the skin is caused by a few factors- natural decline in the the skin’s collagen and elastin that occurs as we age and damage from the environment. The environmental damage is something that we can prevent by applying antioxidants. For example, when sunlight hits the skin Free Radicals and Reactive Oxygen Species are produced in skin cells. These little rogue particles do untold damage to the molecules in skin cells. Antioxidants bind the rogue radicals and prevents them from doing any harm.

Anti oxidants you might have heard of are Vitamin A, C and E, Coenzyme Q10 and Reservatol (Reservatol is the antioxidant in red wine, any excuse!). Astaxanthin is a new one on me and it turns out to be have pretty impressive antioxidant powers.

Proaura 20% Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid and Astaxanthin Review

(Disclaimer- I received the Proaura Serum as a pr sample, this doesn’t affect my feelings towards it. The links are affiliate, which means that if you click and spend I will receive a small amount of money to spend on more products, and it’ll cost you nothing)

Having heard about the age busting powers of Astaxanthin, I was most excited to get some on my face. Proaura isn’t a company I have heard of before, but as they’re boasting such a star ingredient it is definitely tempting me to try it out.

The Proaura Vit C 20% +Astaxanthin Serum comes in a UV protective dropper bottle with red packaging. I don’t mind the packaging at all.

The serum is a thin gel like texture with a slight orange colour. I was a little perturbed by the orange colour- oxidised Vitamin C is orangey brown in shade. But on researching I discovered that Astaxanthin is red in colour, so that explains the shade.

I went through the Ingredients list next to find out if there are any nasties/goodies-

• Aqua- water 👍,
• Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate– This is the Vitamin C. It’s a stable form of Vitamin C that works better in water formulas than other types of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an important anti-aging ingredient- it helps with collagen formation, brightens the complexion as well as being a moderate to good antioxidant. At the stated 20%, there should be visible effects.
• Glycerin- for moisturising,
• Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract- A  possible anti inflammatory toning ingredient.
• Astaxanthin– antioxidant par excellence. Astaxanthin is extracted from a type of marine algae called Haematococcus Microalgae that gives salmon and shellfish it’s pink colour. It was found in one study to be up to 6000 times more effective than vitamin C.
• Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract- Chamomile is soothing and anti inflammatory,
• Sodium Hyaluronate- For hydration,
• Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract- An excellent ingredient for oily skin, it’s an antioxidant and anti microbial,
• Xanthan Gum- Thickening and moisturising,
• Butylene Glycol- Moisturising agent, scores a 1 for comedogenicity- meaning it may cause spots in some,
• Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, DMDM Hydantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin- Stabilisers and preservatives- none of them pose any skin threat according to Cosdna.

The Proaura 20% Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid and Astaxanthin doesn’t contain fragrance, parabens, alcohol, mineral oil or Sulphates. I can also confirm that it is vegan. It contains a good selection of moisturising, brightening and anti aging ingredients.

I’ve waffled on for long enough about science stuff, what is the serum actually like? Proaura’s VitC+Astaxanthin has a sticky feeling when applied and for me it didn’t really absorb in to feel less sticky. I tackled this two ways- I used it at night when I don’t mind the stickiness so much, under an oil. In the daytime I mixed the serum with my usual moisturiser (either Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser or The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors) and that sorted the stickiness right out. It gives an antioxidant boost to my hydration that works well with sunscreen.

Proaura Vit C + Astaxanthin played well with my skin, no irritation or acne. I believe it helped with general brightening, it didn’t completely transform my skin- this is fine, I’m already well into my antioxidants so that’s to be expected.

Proaura 20% Vitamin C + Astaxanthin Serum- Is It Worth It?

My take home message is that antioxidants are great for your skin and definitely something you want to include generously in your skincare if you want to prevent aging. The Proaura Serum has a good formulation- there are no ingredients that I would wish to avoid for any reason, and contains a couple of brilliant antioxidants.

The other Astaxanthin serums and creams I’ve seen for sale have been a lot more expensive than the Proaura serum. At £25, it’s a not extortionate option for trying an antioxidant that has excellent results in studies. If you’re looking for an antioxidant boost for your skincare regime, Proaura 20% Vitamin C + Astaxanthin Serum is a good option.

Proaura 20% Vitamin C + Astaxanthin Serum is available from Amazon.co.uk