Repurchased Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum after 3 years and love this brightening elixir even more today!

It’s been 3 years since I last shared this review on Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum. I’ve gone on to repurchase another bottle, and thankfully, it is now available in Singapore. The biggest difference in the new purchase is the entire repackaging – from a blue-tinted glass bottle to a yellow plastic pump bottle.

Today, I’ll update the difference, but still retain the original photos and contents for reference. Check out this 20% Vitamin C Serum if you want radiant and healthy skin. 

Update (May 2021): This post was first published in March 2018 and updated to included latest information and opinion.

 

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More about Vitamin C Serum and its Benefits

Not sure if you guys have heard of the popular and expensive Skinceuticals CE Ferulic. It has almost similar formula as Timeless Vitamin C Serum, but cost many times more. Today, I’ll make a general comparison between the two and you can then decide if you like to try the very-much-cheaper Timeless Vitamin C Serum.

Prior to that, let’s talk more about why someone would want to use a Vitamin C Serum and how to go about choosing one. Read on.

Vitamin C Serum and its Benefits

I’ve shared in an earlier post about why I thought Vitamin C Serum should form an integral part of one’s skincare regimen. In a nutshell, Vitamin C Serum is great in brightening skin tone and regenerating the collagen in our skin.

Those with pigmentation or aging skin would benefit the most from Vitamin C serum.

How I Search for a Great Vitamin C Serum?

Unfortunately, most Vitamin C Serums available in retail stores are expensive, especially if they contain Ascorbic Acid instead of Vitamin C derivatives. I was doing quite a bit of research and found that many cheaper Vitamin C Serum – especially those available on Amazon – contain Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, which is a less preferred (by me) but more stable form of Vitamin C. 

And many also contain alcohol or witch hazel, which really isn’t all that great when added to the potentially-drying Vitamin C. It took me some time to find one that comes with Ascorbic Acid, contains no alcohol/witch hazel and is affordably priced. Not an easy feat, okay?

Let’s find out more about Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum and see if it does its job well.

 

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Marketing Claims by Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum

Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum as its name suggests contains 20% of Vitamin C form, which in this case is L-Ascorbic Acid. It also contains Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid which are ingredients said to help extend the life and effectiveness of Vitamin C.

I was surprised and happy to see that Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum also contains hyaluronic acid in its formulation.

Timeless also mentions that the serum can:

• Even skin tone and help build collagen 
• Brightens dull complexions
• Corrects hyperpigmentation and discoloration
• Provides protection against environmental stressors

Let’s see if Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum is able to meet all four of her claims!

 

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What’s Good about Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum? 

1. Easy to Apply

Applying Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum was a breeze! The solution while watery was easy to apply because it has a slight slip to it. This not only makes it easy to ‘pick up’ the liquid with your finger tips, but also to spread it easily over the face.

As you can see from the photos below, Timeless used to operate by way of a dropper. Today, it uses a pump bottle making application even more convenient. However, one trade-off is that you are not able to customise the quantity per application. 

For my small face, I found the dispensed amount slightly more than what I would need. But that’s fine as it forces/reminds me to apply it all the way across my neck and décolletage. 

2. Comfortable and Weightless After-feel

As expected, Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum with its rather watery solution feels lightweight and comfortable on the skin.

Immediately upon application, there was only a slight stickiness. Wait a brief moment and the skin absorbs the serum beautifully leaving no grease and stickiness. In fact, the skin feels like bare skin, but without the tightness. Vitamin E in this formula could have helped provide skin with the initial hydration witnessed during application.

Update (May 2021): The above was documented in 2018 and continue to apply to the new bottle I’ve purchased in 2021, in terms of consistency and after-feel. 

3. Brighter Skin Tone

I started using Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum in January 2018. After one month, I noticed that my skin was fairer, more translucent and glowing with radiance. My age spots that appeared after turning 30 have lightened – some spots faded more than the others. Let’s go through one by one on the blown-up before-after photos. The AFTER photos were taken on the 3-month mark.

Update (May 2021): The following Before-After observations were made in 2018. In 2021, I did not make such photo comparison, but do notice brighter and fairer skin. Hope it’s not placebo effect. :) 

This spot on my chin has lightened albeit not very significantly. 

I am happy with the lightening of this spot near my eye.  It should be gone in no time, I hope. 

This very faint spot near my brow has also faded so much I can hardly see it on the AFTER photo.

4. Didn’t Trigger Pimples

It is common for some Vitamin C Serum to trigger pimples. In fact, 60% of Vitamin C Serum I’ve tried caused me to breakout. Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum surprisingly didn’t which came as a surprise because I’ve read that products containing vitamin E may trigger pimple breakouts. 

If you wonder, the 2021 yellow bottle also does not give me pimple problem. 

5. Affordably Priced

As compared to SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum, Timeless has very similar formulation in 2018, as shown below.

• Timeless: Water, Ethoxydiglycol, L-Ascorbic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Alpha Tocopherol, Polysorbate 80, Panthenol, Ferulic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Benzylalcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid.
• Skinceuticals (2018): Aqua / Water / Eau, Ethoxydiglycol, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Laureth-23, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Triethanolamine, Ferulic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium hyaluronate

In 2021, I can no longer find SkinCeutical’s exact ingredient list online. The only thing I can see is 15% pure vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid), 1% vitamin E, and 0.5% ferulic acid.

So, yes, we do notice a lower vitamin C percentage (15% vs 20%) as compared to Timeless. If you can find the latest ingredient list, do let me know, k? 

> MUST-READ: Is SkinCeuticals Vitamin C Serum worth the hefty price?

Price Comparison: SkinCeuticals vs Timeless Vitamin C Serum

SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum is priced at US$166, many times pricier than Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum which is priced at US$27 (see latest online price).

Singaporeans, good news! It’s somewhat surprising that we can get it cheaper in Singapore (via Shopee). I ordered it for just SGD25 (30% cheaper and no need to worry about delivery cost).

Don’t forget to get your Shopee $10 Credit if you are a new user.

This prompted me to give Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum a try in 2018 before potentially venturing to the more popular SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic Vitamin C Serum. I mean, if a significantly lower-priced product can do the job well, then why waste the money, right? 

6. Quite Stable for an Unstable Ingredient 

Timeless website indicated the serum as having a shelf life of just 3 months. I’m happy to report that my first bottle in 2018 was still white and clear even after 6 months. One thing I did was to keep it in the fridge right from the beginning. I believe this has helped slow down the oxidation process of Vitamin C Serum.

In 2018, I had depleted only one-fifth of the serum after 3 months of usage. Let’s see how long this 2021 bottle can last since each pump dispenses more quantity. 

7. Not Over-Drying to Skin

Now, this is another difference between the 2018 and 2021 observations. A few years ago, I’d written that Timeless Vitamin C was dehydrating though I had also highlighted that it got less drying over time (after a few months).

In 2021, I did not notice significantly drier skin right from the start of application. Great, isn’t it? 

Update (2022): The product was drying towards second half of usage – maybe solution was more concentrated towards the end.  

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What’s not good about Timeless Vitamin C Serum? 

1. No Visible Firming

Timeless had shared that Vitamin C Serum could build collagen and in 2018, mentioned that it could make skin firmer. Unfortunately, I did not notice any skin-plumping or firming effect, both in 2018 and 2021. 

Update (2022): For info, SkinCeutical’s Vitamin C serum seems to offer skin firming effect. Read full review here.  

 

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How to Apply Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum? 

Timeless used to advise twice daily application, and I’d shared then that vitamin C serum shouldn’t need multiple application as it can last at least a day on the skin. Furthermore, multiple application a day could exacerbate skin irritation. 

In 2021, the instruction has changed to once a day and Timeless recommends evening application. If you prefer daytime application, Timeless asks that you follow up with a sunscreen.

Personally, I prefer morning application as that was an advice from my aesthetic doctor…that doing so can ensure maximum benefit when UV exposure is at its peak. Here’s an extract from self.com:

…vitamin C becomes less effective when exposed to light, so it’s important to give it time to absorb into your skin before going outside… You don’t need to wait a specific amount of time—as long as it’s absorbed, you’re good to go. ~ self.com

 

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Recommendation

In 2018, after 3 months of usage, I was still looking forward to opening my fridge and taking out the cold bottle of Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum to apply. In 2021, it’s the same! :)

I love its comfortable after-feel, proven ingredient (Ascorbic Acid), great price and skin-brightening effect. I also appreciate that it’s safe to use on my pimple-prone skin. 

But still, I’m keen to try the more expensive SkinCeuticals, just to be sure which is better (Afternote: I did – here’s the review). :) Rating: 4.5/5

 

To find out the latest price on Amazon, click HERE. 

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(This post was first published in Mar 2018 and last updated to include latest information and opinion.)