“To achieve fast and effective results Alpha-H uses a concentrated and balanced combination of potent cosmeceutical and natural ingredients, which are supported with scientific evidence and efficacy studies.”
Alpha-H website
I don’t know about you but I think Alpha-H is very underrated. They have a very cosmeceutical, evidence-based approach in their formulations and they do clinical trials which you might know they are costly to do but it shows they are serious about efficacy. Their cult product ‘Liquid Gold’ which everyone knows about is overshadowing all their other products in my eyes. Vitamin B serum is one of them. This is part of their profiling system(which has Vitamin A, B, C & E as a full set), is designed to give you a very concentrated and potent shot of ingredients that can be easily incorporated into your skincare routine.
What is it?
According to Alpha-H, it is “a potent vitamin serum fortified with Niacinamide and Copper Tripeptide to take on daily environmental elements and helps prevent the appearance of premature ageing.”
What it does
Ok, this is going to take a while because Alpha-H Vitamin B serum with Copper Tripeptide is quite a gem. Let’s break it down:
One of the skincare industry’s shining star comes in the form of vitamin B, in particular 5% vitamin B3 (niacinamide) and 1% vitamin B5 (Panthenol). These are ingredients that are stable, reliable and is a water-soluble vitamin it plays well with the others (like Vitamin A, C & E).
Did you know Niacinamide can:
- reduce hyperpigmentation while brightening the overall complexion and even out skin tones.
- help fight acne and balancing sebum production.
- boost ceramides production so it can calm inflammation, balance skin’s pH level and repair skin’s protective barriers
- restore skin elasticity, thereby reducing the appearance of enlarged pores and skin appears more plumped
- good for sensitive rosacea skin.
And, did you know Panthenol is good for all skincare, particularly great for dry, flaky and acne-prone skin? It can:
- decrease in transepidermal water loss which helps to maintain good, healthy skin barrier (based on studies on formulations with pantheon (1-5%) shown)
- help to regulate skin barrier function with its anti-bacterial property, this is beneficial for treating acne-prone skin.
- Helps to regulate hormone levels.
Copper Peptides combine copper with amino acids, giving a ‘daily protein powder’ to energise and invigorate the complexion. In other words, it has a powerful regenerative effect, promoting skin’s production of collagen and elastin to firm skin and protect against loss of volume.
Chia Seed is rich in omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids and antioxidant Vitamin E increase skin hydration and further reduce moisture loss.
Ferulic Acid from rice bran oil, another powerful anti-oxidant that helps to even skin tone and brighten the complexion.
Lastly, Lactobacillus Ferment is also present in the ingredients list. Ok, this is a very personal preference, I just love me a touch of probiotics topically applied in my skincare. Whenever I see this in a formula I just know instinctively that it will work for me. This ferment is fantastic in helping skin’s microbiome to maintain a healthy mix of flora, it’s been shown to provide soothing and strengthening ability to the skin barriers.
Who’s it for
It’s suitable for all, particularly those sun-damaged, dehydrated, prematurely aged or sensitive skin.
Everything else
Packaging
A white frosted glass opaque bottle with an eyedropper applicator.
Colour, Texture & Scent
This is a very lightweight serum, not silicone-y, it has a bit of ‘slip’ but absorbs very quickly. The colour as you can see in the picture is light blue, which I think it comes from the colour dye (that’s the last ingredient in the inci. list), once you apply onto the face it disappears almost immediately.
Well, the serum doesn’t contain any artificial fragrance or essential oils, so the scent is coming from the ingredients. To my nose, it smells like brass or copper. It doesn’t linger at all, again, once you apply onto the face, the smell almost goes away.
How to use it
Apply 2-3 drops each morning to a cleansed face, neck and décolletage, avoiding the delicate lip and eye areas.
Lixirskin instruction
Since this works well alongside any other skincare staples (including retinol, AHAs, BHA, vitamin C), I tend to use this whenever I feel my skin needs it – sometimes just am or pm, at times, both. If I want to use this alongside Zelens Vitamin D, then I put this first, Zelens after. On average, I use this about 3 or 4 times a week. My skin is more clarified and just generally feel more resilient.
Final thoughts
Overall, I like this product and it’s in the category of improving skin appearance and health all around. I’ve used it in the last few months and I did notice a difference when I skipped it for over a week (yes, I sometimes just forgot). I like that this is a concentrated formula at the right percentage, a lot of studies on the efficacy of niacinamide are based on 3 – 5%, so we are right there. Anything above that doesn’t always mean it’s better but it does mean it can increase the chance of irritations.
This serum is formulated without Parabens, Sulfates SLS and SLES, Phthalates, Mineral Oils, Formaldehydes, Formaldehyde-releasing agents, Coal Tar, Hydroquinone, Triclosan, and Triclocarban which sounds pretty amazing but what bugs me a little is that it has blue dye right at the end of the ingredients list. I know this is probably very minimal and it’s FDA-approved however, many synthetic colours are made from a variety of synthetic chemicals which are associated with skin irritation, they can block the pores which hinder the natural health of skin barriers and can lead to breakouts. Fortunately, this hasn’t caused me issues but I’d still prefer this is omitted altogether from an otherwise perfectly formulated product.
If you have tried The Ordinary and not got on well with that one, then this is worth checking out. To be honest, while it’s a comparable product, it’s not the same. The Ordinary one has 10% Niacinamide and Zinc so if your skin can’t take that strength, then a higher percentage is pretty pointless. On the other hand, if you are curious about Copper Tripeptide, then you can look at Niod’s Copper Amino Isolate Serum 2:1 as a separate product. I haven’t yet come across another product that’s a close resemblance to this.
Have you tried this before? What is your experience?
Available: Standard size £39/25ml – UK (CultBeauty)
Alpha-H Vitamin B Ingredients
Ingredient Listing: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Niacinamide, Methyl Gluceth-20, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Sodium Pca, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Ferulic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Wheat Amino Acids, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium Edta, Citric Acid, Lactobacillus Ferment, Copper Tripeptide-1, Hydroxyproline, Ci 42090 (Blue 1) (Fdc Blue #1-Aluminum Lake).