Michael Todd Vitamin C Complex Serum review
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase.
Plus, take 50% off all skincare with code heartthis
photos: we heart this
Waking up is hard to do. Caffeine is a nice slap in the face. A stinging shower helps too. But on the gentler side is the smell of citrus—nature’s wake-up call. While the Vitamin C in your morning OJ is good for your body, most of us have come to learn that Vitamin C is also important for your skin. Michael Todd Cosmetics has created a Vitamin C Complex serum unlike many others.
I first became enamored with Vitamin C products with The Body Shop’s Vitamin C line, using their moisturizer and Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz for years. After reaching age forty, however, I realized that I needed a moisturizer with more clout. The Vitamin C did great things for radiance, however, and I missed that (along with the smell of fresh squeezed oranges). Enter Michael Todd’s Vitamin C Complex Serum ($62, 1 fl oz).
Made with 70% organic ingredients and certified vegan, the eye-opening fresh-squeezed orange juice aroma is discernable from the first pump. This Vitamin C Serum is more than a moisturizer, rich with essential oils such as Sweet Orange, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Rosehip and Mandarin in addition to Aloe Vera Juice and Cranberry, Wild Raspberry and Blueberry extracts. That’s a grocery store of antioxidants at your fingertips!
These mostly organic ingredients are known to help those with signs of aging such as hyperpigmentation (sun spots), dehydration and loss of elasticity and radiance. Vitamin C can also strengthen skin’s barrier response system, promote collagen production and boost the efficacy of sunscreen additives.
Michael Todd’s Vitamin C Complex Serum is recommended for all skin types except oily. I found this to be most surprising considering my skin is extremely oily. I used this serum day and night with fantastic results. My guess is that the number of essential oils in this product could aggravate oily skin, though such was not the case with me. My skin not only drank in the product, making it feel plump and moist, but also evened out in tone (noticeably, from the first application!) I also have a tendency towards inflammation on my face and (especially) neck, which the serum seems to attack particularly well.
Pros:
1. Natural Citrus Scent (Instant Mood Brightener!)
2. Mostly Organic.
3. Certified Vegan.
4. Rich, without oily feel.
5. Evens Skin Tone/Lightens Freckles and Sun Spots.
6. Virtually Eliminates Inflammation.
7. Airtight pump dispenser.
8. Great for Sensitive Skin.
Cons:
1. Steep Price.
2. Clear/Frosted Glass Bottle (Antioxidants like vitamin C are vulnerable to deterioration in the presence of light).
Energizing, beautifying and satisfying—whether you’re looking for a quick-fix face brightener or are looking to reap the long-term benefits of protecting your skin from the sun and elements—Michael Todd has the perfect way to start your day.
Related: How To Use Vitamin C Serum In Your Skincare Routine
Review team, do you prefer your juice in Michael Todd’s glass?
And quick, you can get 50% off all Michael Todd skincare with code: heartthis. Making that $62 price tag a very affordable $31.
Sherri is co-author of What Would You Do With This Room?
Disclosure: This is a we heart this Sponsor Feature; a post highlighting an advertiser. It also includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
This stuff smells AMAZING! It reminds me of Fresh Sugar Lemon perfume, just light and citrusy and totally yum.
It’s interesting too. I’m oily as well, so this shouldn’t work for me either. Oil is even the 3rd ingredient (aloe, then gylcerin, then rosehip seed oil), which would normally send me running. But this feels so light. It doesn’t leave my face feeling or looking slick. It just sinks in right away and makes my skin look instantly healthier, just like @sherrishera said. I only use 1 small pump, and concentrate it on drier areas of my face.
And I don’t know, maybe I’m nuts, but $62 doesn’t seem so bad to me…
I like this very much, 4 stars!
This is a GREAT review, Sherri, and I’m really considering taking advantage of the 50% off deal right now…here’s my question though for you or Stef or anyone else who tried it – since it’s a serum do you have to use a moisturizer on top of it also? I used to use a Lancome vit C serum that I loved, but still felt the need for a moisturizer. I’m in the market for a new moisturizer since my HG one is now discontinued – man I HATE that! I need something very light but still moisturizing and able to instantly brighten and tighten all those places that need it – my Lancome Primordiale actually did all that like no other I’ve ever tried and now it’s gone with no proper replacement. I also need a brightener for my mustache-shaped melasma (oh joy) that now pops out whenever it’s sunny. This sounds like it may fit the bill for all that, but I’m just not sure if I want to get back into a serum plus a moisturizer routine again. If this is such a great product, I don’t think the price tag is that high – and especially when you can get it half off now! Thanks much!!
This definitely seems more like a moisturizer than a serum to me and I didn’t use a moisturizer on top. THAT may have been too much for my oily skin. This does all those wonderful things a serum should do, however, namely changing the tone and radiance of my skin. Try it!
This stuff sounds great! I generally love vitamin c products. And I am really glad to hear that this could work for my oily skin. Yay! My skin and I need a nice pick me up like this!!
I love the scent of citrus. Oddly, sometimes my senstive skin does not like it for some reason. 50% off is a smoking deal but, I am curious are there any senstive skin testers out there? I would love to hear their thoughts.
I give this product five stars. I can’t think of another moisturizer I’ve used recently that worked so well on my sensitive yet oily skin. Granted this is a “serum” and not a moisturizer, per se, but whatever you call it, it works very well and virtually instantaneously (fading sunspots may not me instantaneous, but redness and overall tone is markedly better right away).
My skin does well with Vitamin C! It’s also on the dry side and pretty sensitive.. I’m so tempted to buy this product too! I love lemon from Fresh!! I use that often and if this smells like that I’m really tempted!I also like the airtight pump it has. Great review @sherrishera :)
Vitamin C is such an important skin care ingredient and I’m always so excited when I discover a new vitamin C product. This one looks as though it is packed with fantastic natural ingredients. Any idea as to the percentage of vitamin C?
While I couldn’t find an actual percentage of Vitamin C in the product, this is from Michael Todd’s website:
“When it comes to skincare, the philosophy of Michael Todd is ‘It’s not enough just to include an ingredient, it must be as natural and organic as possible and in sufficient concentration to ensure effectiveness.'”
Ooh, that sounds lovely! At $62 I’d be a little wary of how it would do for my combination skin, so that 50% off is perfect. Just enough of a discount to make me willing to take the plunge. My bathroom is almost always in complete darkness, so that’s a good/safe spot to store the bottle. Add that to the air tight pump, a citrus scent, and glowing reviews… Hmmm…
Great review @sherrishera ! Come paycheck time and I think I’m going to have to go for it!
I’ve really grown to love serums, and I can’t resist orange-scented products. This sounds like a must-try for me. Great review, @sherrishera !
I love vitamin C products especially when they give you great results and smell amazing. This one sounds right up my alley! Keeping my eye out for this. Great review @sherrishera!
This sounds lovely! I love a good citrus smell, but the oils in the product scare my acne prone skin. Hmmm seems like this serum ahs been a winner for some other oily gals, so I am tempted.
I love a C serum and I used to use the Erno Lazlo version..@sherrishera, does this one cause a slight tingle on the skin?
No tingling on my skin…now, my nose is another story!
An incredibly sweet little birdie sent me this to try – yippee!! I’ve been using it for a couple weeks now and can’t agree more with the glowing reviews its gotten so far! The smell is amazing – you can smell that whole produce stand in it – especially the lemon, my favorite. On my normal-combo and slightly acne-prone skin, it works great – no greasy feeling and no breakouts at all. It’s not quite moisturizing enough to be used alone for my skin – even in summer time. So my quest for a new moisturizer isn’t over, but this absolutely helps to give a glow – and I am looking forward to seeing if it will help in the long-term with my mustache melasma (hyperpigmentation over my lip). If it does, it will get an easy five stars from me!
I love citrus scents it is very refreshing and cool, this is such a good stuff for women. I have my Vitamin C complex for my skin, but it makes my skin dry that’s why I’ll stop using it. this product sounds good to me, I’ll try to check this out!