This £17 Serum Gives Me Glass Skin—and Rivals the £165 One I Swear By

There are two defining beauty moments I can recall during my years of testing skincare in my job as a beauty editor. The first is my skin before discovering SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum. The second is my skin afterwards. Way back when I was an intern, every beauty editor I knew swore by this £165 elixir, which is filled with a complexion-boosting, brightening and glowing cocktail of vitamin C, ferulic acid and vitamin E. Put it this way: it was the product most likely to disappear under mysterious circumstances from beauty cupboards in the magazine offices I worked in.

After going through a couple of bottles, I can confidently say that it is my favourite serum of all time, hands down. This is a shame for my bank balance though, as £165 is way, way out of my budget, and if it weren't for a job in which I get to test beauty products for a living, I'd be very hesitant to drop that amount of money on a serum, let alone if I had never tried it before.

So, when I tried Beauty Pie Superdose Vitamin C C-Suite Rapid Action Power Brightener (£17), I was shocked that its effects mirrored the results I'd seen when using SkinCeuticals, but with a price tag of just £17 for Beauty Pie members (or £100 for non-members). Read on for my honest review of Beauty Pie's Superdose Vitamin C Serum.

What I love about this serum is that it gives both long-term and instantaneous results. Upon contact with the skin, it delivers a glow with a capital G. But after using it for a month, I can see a visible difference in the acne scarring and pigmentation in my skin, which is no doubt down to the winning combination of ingredients that work to brighten and lend the skin a healthy radiance.

The serum contains a cocktail of ingredients that help address a number of skin concerns:

15% Vitamin C: From helping to brighten pigmentation and dark spots to boosting skin elasticity and fending off free radicals, this is a powerhouse skincare ingredient.

Tranexamic Acid: Works to address sun damage whilst calming and smoothing the skin.

Ferulic Acid: An antioxidant that works in tandem with the other ingredients to brighten the skin.

You'll also find vitamin C and ferulic acid in SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum, however, Beauty Pie's doesn't have the addition of vitamin E, but it does include tranexamic acid. The texture itself is very lightweight and watery, meaning it sinks in quickly and can be layered nicely underneath your moisturiser and SPF. 

As someone with combination skin that is prone to acne and sensitivity, I've experienced no problems using this serum. I'm prone to breakouts that often leave behind stubborn scarring, but I found that Beauty Pie's serum helped to clear the pigmentation fast. It has also helped fade the sun-induced pigmentation I experience during the summer months. 

Genuinely, the results I've seen from using this serum are on a par with that of SkinCeuticals' C E Ferulic serum. It gives my skin an immediate healthy glow, and I've noticed my complexion is even-toned and bouncy since using this. In short, I'd say this serum is worth trying at the member's price of £17. Whilst the non-member price is a lot steeper (£100), it's still much cheaper than SkinCeuticals' £165 price tag. I wouldn't say this product is a "dupe", as the ingredients are different and I think it's a great product in its own right, but the results I've seen are brilliant nonetheless.

Pros: Affordable, brightening, sophisticated formula and suitable for most skin types.

Cons: Need to be a Beauty Pie member for a discounted price; more expensive for non-members.

Want to know which other vitamin C serums I'd recommend? Scroll ahead for some of my favourites.

Next Up: I've Had Dark Circles All My Life, and These Are the Only Products That Work