How We Made Our New Brighten + Boost Morning Treatment Serums

We hope you’ve been enjoying your new Brighten + Boost Morning Treatment Serum – it’s the best way to supercharge your morning routine. But, have you ever wondered how we actually made these AM heroes? Well, it’s all down to our amazing formulation chemists – they’re the ones who worked hard to create the perfect trio of morning serums, tailored to target your specific skin goals. 

We sat down with the team to find out all about the process, learn about the science behind the ingredients and discover just how many versions the team tried before they found the perfect formulation. 

What was the brief for the brand new Brighten + Boost Morning Treatment Serums and how did you approach it? 

The initial brief was to develop a range of ultra-lightweight, fast absorbing, non-tacky, high-performance serums containing 15% vitamin C and 10% azelaic acid. These needed to be vegan, cruelty free and use materials which are as efficacious as possible.

For the vitamin C serums, we first approached this by reviewing all the highest performing vitamin C ingredients on the market. We considered the clinical data, delivery systems, how they interact with the skin, and the specific conditions they require for maximum efficacy. These conditions are important as using the wrong pH could make the ingredient unable to function, less bioavailable (the rate at which a substance enters the body) or even unstable. We then developed a bespoke formulation system that was as lightweight and non-tacky as possible, but still left the skin feeling nourished.

For the azelaic acid serum, we trialled different rheology modifiers (thickeners) and emollients (soothing and softening ingredients) to achieve a lightweight, high-performance serum that could stabilise a high level of azelaic acid. This was tricky because azelaic acid is a powder which doesn’t readily dissolve in water or oil, so we had to build a smart formulation that can suspend a high level of this powder, without feeling thick or heavy on the skin.

We collaborated closely with the Skin + Me team throughout this process, gathered lots of feedback and continued optimising the formulations until we achieved the perfect texture, skin feel and overall formulation for each of the products.

What challenges did you face while you were formulating the Brighten + Boost Morning Treatment Serums? 

The difficulty with creating both of these products was that vitamin C and azelaic acid are both brilliant ingredients, but when used at high levels they often leave the skin feeling very sticky and unpleasant. These are also difficult ingredients to stabilise within a formulation. 

For example, pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid) needs to be at a pH below 3.5 to be efficacious, which is too low for most peptides and other active ingredients. It can also oxidise over time, turning dark brown and losing its efficacy, which is why we used vitamin C complex. The encapsulation of the ascorbic acid protects the molecule, making it more stable and therefore more effective when applied on the skin.

For the vitamin C serums, we refined the combination of thickeners and humectants until no tack was noticeable upon application. We also optimised the antioxidants to ensure that the vitamin C remained as stable as possible. 

For the azelaic acid, we developed a formulation that enabled us to suspend a high level of azelaic acid without feeling grainy, and also incorporate some emollients which help to nourish and form a barrier on the skin, and counteract any stickiness that might occur from the azelaic acid.

For the vitamin C serums, we developed 59 different iterations (including all the trials to optimise the base with the best grades of vitamin C), and for the azelaic acid serum we ran around 22 iterations. We wanted to be sure we got the texture and skin feel perfect!

What are the standout features of the Brighten + Boost Morning Treatment Serums?

Typically other azelaic acid and vitamin C serums on the market lack the addition of other supporting ingredients, whereas these serums also contain a high level of clinically-proven, effective active ingredients that work in combination with the hero vitamin C and azelaic acid. These serums were also specially formulated to ensure that they could be layered well beneath other Skin + Me formulations.

Both vitamin C serums contain a 15% Vitamin C Complex that enables the vitamin C to remain protected from oxidation and help retain its efficacy. This means that the vitamin C will be active on the skin for longer, as it’s being oxidised much slower than pure ascorbic acid. The serums also contain three other antioxidants to help protect the skin, and specific peptides that target brightening and firming.

For the azelaic acid serum, we have successfully included 10% azelaic acid in a formulation that feels cosmetically elegant (which is particularly difficult with azelaic acid) and have also included a combination of six supporting active ingredients that all help to calm and soothe the skin.

Peptides are big news right now – why are they so exciting and how did you select the right peptides for each formulation? 

Peptides are really interesting ingredients. They are biomimetic – which means they’re inspired by and can match the skin’s natural processes. This enables them to target specific pathways in the skin involved in ageing, inflammation, brightening, aiding in cell communication, and they are able to achieve this on all skin types.

Peptides have a wide range of applications, some can improve skin firmness and elasticity (such as palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and acetyl hexapeptide-8, which we used in the Firming Vitamin C Serum), some brighten the skin through interesting pathways (such as acetyl hexapeptide-1 in the Regulating Vitamin C Serum), or calm redness and reactivity within the skin (such as heptapeptide-6 in the Calming Azelaic Acid Serum).  

The reason we used the above peptides in these formulations is because of their efficacy and compatibility with the formulation systems we developed. They have all been demonstrated to have strong results on the skin in the areas we are targeting, and they also compliment the hero ingredients in these serums whilst also supporting Skin + Me’s mission to create truly effective skincare solutions.

Peptides are an excellent example of the true science that goes into skincare. They are becoming increasingly innovative, taking inspiration from nature and the processes within the body, and are being designed using green processes that are beneficial for the environment. Peptides are brilliant, and it will be interesting to see how much further this area of research develops in the coming years.