I purchased Truth Serum as part of the Ole Henriksen Let’s Get Luminous set. I decided to purchase this set because I was looking for a new vitamin C serum to replace my Drunk Elephant C-Firma. I really like the C-Firma but it is just so dang expensive that I wanted to see if anything else would do the trick at a cheaper price. I decided to try this Ole Henriksen trio of products because I felt like provided a good amount of product to try in the kit, and I was also interesting in seeing how their regimen would work when used together. With some kits, you receive such a tiny amount of product that it can be impossible to know if I really want to invest in the full size with only one or two uses (which happens to be one of my main issues with my Birchbox subscription). This kit came with at least a couple months’ worth of product, so I felt I would get a good idea of if I liked it or not.
I have now been using this product for the last two months or so each morning in combination with the other products in the kit. I use it after washing my face with Murad Pre-Biotic 4-in-1 Multicleanserand I follow the products with a CC cream and sometimes a BB and a CC cream. The first thing I noticed about this product is that it is pretty drippy and liquid-y compared to other vitamin C serums I have used in the past. I felt like my skin did not absorb it very quickly, which kind of elongated my whole morning routine since I had to wait for it to dry. Even when I tried using smaller and smaller amounts, it never did absorb particularly well. For the huge price difference between the product I use normally ($80 for 1 oz bottle of C-Firma vs $50 for 1 oz bottle of Truth Serum) the slow absorption could be something I could live with.
One of the nicest things about Truth Serum compared to other vitamin C serums I have used in the past is that it has a very pleasant citrus smell. Some vitamin C serums have a wierd “hotdog water” smell, and this product absolutely does not. The smell was probably the biggest advantage that Ole Henriksen’s Truth Serum has over competitors, but I don’t know that it is enough for me to choose this over something else.
Consistency and scent aside, when it comes to skincare I want a product that works and does what it says it will do and doesn’t negatively impact my skin. According to Ole Henriksen, Truth Serum is supposed to brighten your skin while fighting the signs of aging and providing hydration. I feel like it did hold up part of the bargain, but not all of it. Truth Serum did brighten my skin. I felt like it made my skin look nice and luminous, but not as nice as C-firma makes it look. I did not feel any difference in firmness or my signs of aging (I mainly have some wrinkles on my forehead and some crow’s feet starting that I’m trying to combat).
The biggest downside to this product, for me, is how it reacted with my skin. I would consider my skin pretty “normal”. I do not have particularly dry or oily skin and I do not generally have breakouts from trying new products. When I began using this Ole Henriksen Let’s Get Luminous kit, however, I unfortunately broke out with some pretty big, ugly zits. I would expect it to potentially cause a little bit of breaking out with initial use, but after two months I was still having pimples pop up, which is a deal breaker for me.
Overall I think that Ole Henriksen’s Truth Serum is just okay. It isn’t great but it wasn’t absolutely horrible either. I will be looking for additional options, however, to use in replacement of C-Firma, as this product was not a great for me personally.
Straight to the Point
Pros
-Reasonably priced
-Smells nice
-Brightens skin
Cons
-Liquid-y consistency with poor absorption
-Caused breakouts
-No improvement in firmness or signs of aging
Oblivious 