Treatment
Arencia
Vitamin C Booster Shot
Vitamin C at a concentration that does something, in a form that does not fall apart in the bottle. Paired with niacinamide and glutathione, and gentle enough to use every morning on skin that reacts.
Active ingredient
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid (5%), Niacinamide, Glutathione, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
What it does
The real benefit
3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid at 50,000 ppm is a genuine 5%, and unlike L-ascorbic acid it stays stable rather than oxidising into something browner and weaker. The niacinamide alongside it is doing complementary work: niacinamide interrupts melanin transfer to the skin cell, the vitamin C works upstream on melanin production. Two points in the same pathway, which is why the pair shifts uneven tone faster than either on its own — and why it suits sensitive skin, since neither has to be pushed to a high concentration to be worth using.
What it does not
The honest limits
It will not act as a substitute for sunscreen; antioxidants reduce some free-radical damage but do not block UV. It will not flatten deep dermal pigmentation such as melasma, which needs more than a topical antioxidant. And it is not an overnight product — expect months, not weeks.
Ritual
How to use
Two or three drops in the morning, on clean skin, before anything richer. Press rather than rub. Always follow with sunscreen — the whole point of using an antioxidant in the morning is to pair it with UV protection.
Routine
Found in routine
Morning Routine for Dullness and Pigmentation — Sensitive Skin — Step 2 (Treatment, AM)