Update: My sample was definitely an old product, the color is completely different than the brand’s product photos.
I’m leaving this post up to remind myself that I did try the product and will try it again in the future.
Warning: If your vitamin c has discolored to an orange shade, and it wasn’t originally that color, check the expiration date or go back to your purchase history to get an idea of how old the product is.
Check beauty product manufacturing/production dates:
I received a sample of the Dr. Dennis Gross 15% Vitamin C Firm & Bright Serum ($85) as a free gift of purchase from Sephora.
I love vitamin C serums.
I think that they make a huge difference in the tone of my skin.
This serum also has lactic acid that helps exfoliate the skin, and vitamin E which is supposed to help inflammation.
So this formula is really amazing.
It’s a little expensive, but overall I just can’t use this product because of the scent. It’s just too strong.
TL:DR (Too Long Didn’t Read) on the Dr. Dennis Gross 15% Vitamin C Firm & Bright Serum:
- It absorbs well into the skin
- Great ingredients/formulation
- Strong “vitamin c” scent that permeates through makeup and other skincare products
Dr. Dennis Gross 15% Vitamin C Firm & Bright Serum Product Review:
I like Dr. Dennis Gross as a brand, but this is just way too strong of a scent for me.
So overall, this product is just unusable for me.
I used as much of the sample I possibly could, but this is the first time I’ve ever felt like a skin care product was so fragrant that I couldn’t use it.
It was like hard for me to use it unless I was wearing a full face of makeup.
I usually use vitamin C serums during the day, and then of course I use sunscreen on top.
95% of the time I can’t ever smell any of the skincare products that I have underneath or when I put makeup on, I definitely can’t smell it.
The vitamin C, almost citrusy scent permeated through everything, skincare and makeup!
If it was a skin care only day, I could smell it all day.
If it was a makeup day, I could still smell it most of the day.
It’s just too much.
An alternative to this product would be the Ole Henrikson Vitamin C that has similar ingredients, a smoother texture, and doesn’t have a strong scent.
I hate to harp on the scent so much because I don’t mind scents in beauty products. I actually enjoy a lot of the fresh, citrusy scents in beauty products.
Another issue I have with this product is the tackiness it has.
This is typical for a vitamin C serum, but I prefer a smoother formula at this price point.
This sample could be an older sample, which is causing the scent and tackiness issue.
Because I like Dr. Dennis Gross, Id be willing to try another sample to see if this isnt the usual formula.
Ill of course update my thoughts here as well.
Is the Dr. Dennis Gross 15% Vitamin C Firm & Bright Serum worth it?
Maybe, if the strong scent and tacky finish was due to an old sample then maybe its worth it.
But, vitamin c is available in more pleasant formulas at a less expensive price.
Dr. Dennis Gross 15% Vitamin C Firm & Bright Serum product review rating: N/A
Nubelease Quick Review Rating System
*Disclaimer: My Quick Review rating system is more simplified than my full product reviews. The goal is to write down my thoughts on every product I try. Hopefully, this is helpful for you but it also helps me remember products as I am always trying new things. Head to nubelease.com for full length product reviews.
Bad – Didn’t do what it says, and was even worse on top of that.
Ok – Didn’t do what it says, but it’s decent enough to use up.
Good – Does what it says it’s going to do.
Great – Does what it says it’s going to do plus more great things on top of that.
Must Have – An excellent product that is/could be universally loved by anyone and everyone.