Brightening and evening my skin tone has always been high on my "skin priorities" list. I've always suffered from slight redness in my cheeks, as well as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and an overall dull, uneven skin tone. So when I received this Skin & Lab Red Serum from a previous Pink Seoul box, I was very interested, to say the least. Antioxidants, licorice root extract, and sweet almond oil extract? Sign me up!
According to Wishtrend, this Dr. Color Effect Red Serum to supposed to:
- Clear and brighten skin tone
- Firm and balance skin structure
- Provide Intense moisture/nourishment to skin's inner layer
- Provide a flawless, silky texture to skin
Pretty heavy claims for just one serum! I'll admit, reading the packaging, I was excited, and my hopes were high. The thing that makes this serum stand out most is that it's formulated with something Skin & Lab calls the Phyto RED complex, which includes ingredients such as raspberry, pomegranate, cloudberry, lycium, acai berry, and blueberry. The red-colored fruits included in this complex are rich in Lycopene and Elagic Acid, which provide powerful antioxidant effects and prevent the breakdown of collagen in the skin. It also contains a few more yummy skincare ingredients, including wild yam, sweet almond seed extract, witch hazel, allantoin, and licorice extract, to help brighten skin, deliver moisture, and improve skin tone.
Ingredients:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Betaine, Witch Hazel, Witch Hazel Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Fruit Extract, Blueberry Fruit Extract, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Fruit Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Raspberry Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Extract, Lepidium Sativum (Garden Cress) Sprout Extract, Niacinamide, Wild Yam Root, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroamic Acid, Boswellia Serrata (Indian Frankincense) Resin Extract, Sweet Almond Seed Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Allantoin, Carbomer, Arginine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (Licorice Root), Adenosine, Jasmine Oil, Disodium EDTA, Witch Hazel Twig Extract.
Tons of brightening, hydrating, and moisturizing ingredients! Here's the CosDNA ingredient breakdown; most of the ingredients rank relatively low when it comes to skin irritants, with the exception of hydrogenated castor oil and jasmine oil, which are ranked a 3/5 for skin safety.
| Ingredient | Function | Acne | Irritant | Safety  |
| Water | ‧Solvent |
1
| ||
| Butylene Glycol | ‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer | 1 | 0 |
1
|
| Glycerin | ‧Solvent ‧Moisturizer | 0 | 0 |
2
|
| Sodium Hyaluronate | ‧Moisturizer | 0 | 0 |
1
|
| Betaine | ‧Viscosity Control ‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer |
1
| ||
| Witch Hazel | ‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Antioxidant ‧Astringent |
1
| ||
| Witch hazel Leaf Extract | ‧Plant extract |
1
| ||
| Punica Granatum Fruit Extract | ||||
| Blueberry Fruit Extract | ‧Anti-inflammatory |
1
| ||
| Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Extract | ‧Plant extract |
1
| ||
| Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract | ‧Antioxidant |
1
| ||
| Raspberry Fruit Extract | ‧Exfoliator ‧Astringent |
1
| ||
| Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract |
1
| |||
| Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract | ‧Plant extract |
1
| ||
| Niacinamide |
1
| |||
| Wild Yam Root Extract |
1
| |||
| or Wild Yam Root Extract |
1
| |||
| 1,2-Hexanediol | ‧Solvent |
1
| ||
| Caprylyl Glycol | ‧Moisturizer ‧Emollient |
1
| ||
| Caprylhydroxamic acid | ||||
| Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract | ‧Plant extract | |||
| Sweet Almond Seed Extract | ‧Plant extract |
1
| ||
| PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil | ‧Surfactant |
3
| ||
| Allantoin | ‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Anti-allergic | 0 | 0 |
1
|
| Carbomer | ‧Viscosity Control | 0 | 1 |
1
|
| Arginine | ‧Antistatic ‧Moisturizer |
1
| ||
| Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate | ‧Anti-inflammatory ‧Anti-allergic |
1
| ||
| Adenosine |
1
| |||
| Jasmine Oil | ‧Fragrance ‧Moisturizer ‧Anti-inflammatory |
3
| ||
| Disodium EDTA |
1
| |||
| witch hazel Twig Extract | no matched results | |||
The Skin & Lab Red Serum comes in a sturdy 40ml glass bottle with a dropper to dispense the serum. The texture reminds me of a typical serum; a bit thicker than water with a little slip to it, and leaves a slightly tacky finish. It retails for about $40 on the Wishtrend website. When I first received this little serum, I actually sort of glanced it over and decided that eh, maybe one day I would work this into my routine, so it kind of took up a permanent spot on my dresser for a month or so until I decided to give it a try. Fortunately, it turned out to be better than expected! Application is pretty painless; I use this nightly after applying all of my other essences, and then lock it in with a moisturizer or sleeping pack. It has a bit of an oily texture to it and feels a bit sticky once applied, so I like to use it at night since I don't usually have time in the morning to wait for it to sink in. The scent is one of my favorite things about this serum, it smells lightly fruity and floral, like berries mixed with a hint of jasmine. The scent dissipates quickly and doesn't linger, so I don't think it would be bothersome for most people. This definitely needs to be applied near the end of your routine, right before your moisturizer, as the oilier consistency makes it hard for other products applied after it to absorb properly.
To use: Apply 3-4 drops over clean face and throat every morning and night. Smooth in gently. Follow with your moisturizer.
After about 2 months of using this serum every night, I have to say it's done an impressive job of delivering moisture to my skin and brightening my skint tone. During the time that I've been using this serum, I was taking a break from using my usual vitamin C serum, and I noticed that my skin still looked bright and my PIH/acne scarring looked lighter as well. I know that many people have had mixed results with this serum; some love it, some don't see any results beyond basic moisture. I suppose I was one of the lucky ones, because my skin feels pretty plump/firm and moisturized since I've incorporated this into my routine. I would definitely recommend this to those who have combination/dry skin, who are looking for something that can brighten skin almost as well as a vitamin C serum (maybe for those whose skin can't handle concentrated vitamin C), or for those just looking for plumper/more moisturized skin. Would I repurchase? It's likely! I find that my skin works best when I use vitamin C every other day, so I think this would be a great serum to use on the days in-between when I want to give my skin a bit of a breather, but still add a bit of glow to my complexion.
You can find the Skin & Lab Red Serum on Wishtrend for $40, as well as on Amazon for about $30. Have you tried this serum? What was your experience like?
Disclosure: This product was purchased by me, all opinions are my own. If you're curious about my press samples, affiliate links, and sponsors, please see my disclosure policies.
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