APLB Kojic Acid Vitamin C Ampoule Serum

APLB Kojic Acid Serum — kojic acid and vitamin C are both commonly used for uneven tone and the marks left after blemishes clear. This ampoule carries them at 42.2% alongside centella asiatica.

Tone work is slow work. Expect to judge it after eight weeks of consistent use, not eight days.

Best for

Dullness, uneven tone, post-blemish marks.

How to use APLB Kojic Acid Serum

Apply to clean skin before moisturiser. Vitamin C formulas do their best work in the morning under sunscreen, though this one is fine either time of day. Patch test first if your skin reacts easily.

What is in it

Vitamin C

Vitamin C does two useful things at once: it interferes with the enzyme that produces pigment, and it neutralises some of the free radical damage that daylight causes. That makes it a morning ingredient — it works with sunscreen rather than replacing it. Pure L-ascorbic acid is the most studied form and also the most temperamental, oxidising when exposed to light and air. A darkening bottle is a real signal, not a cosmetic one. Background reading on vitamin C if you want the chemistry behind it.

Kojic acid

Kojic acid is a by-product of fermentation — it was first isolated from the mould used to make sake — and it inhibits tyrosinase, the enzyme that starts pigment production. That places it in the same family of action as arbutin and vitamin C, and it is frequently paired with them because the combination covers more of the pathway than any one of them alone. It can irritate at higher concentrations, so introduce it gradually.

Centella asiatica

Centella asiatica is the plant behind almost every product marketed as “cica”. Its active fractions — madecassoside and asiaticoside among them — are studied for wound healing and calming irritated skin. In a routine, centella is what makes an otherwise demanding formula usable: it takes the edge off acids and retinoids and helps a stressed barrier settle. It is not a treatment for pigmentation or lines; it is the counterweight that lets those treatments continue.

What to use it with

Seal this in with a moisturiser and apply it to skin that is still damp from a toner — both steps make a measurable difference to how much of the serum stays where you put it. From the rest of our range, APLB Azelaic Acid Peptide Facial Cream and COSRX AHA BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner are sensible companions, and both are stocked with the same cash-on-delivery terms.

Where it fits in your routine

A serum goes on after cleansing and toning, while skin is still slightly damp, and before anything heavier. That order matters more than people expect — the thinnest, most concentrated layer needs direct contact with skin, not a film of moisturiser in the way. Give it thirty seconds to absorb, then seal it in with a cream. If you are using more than one serum, the lighter one goes first.

Before you start

Keep this away from light and heat, and close it properly. Vitamin C oxidises with exposure — if the liquid turns deep yellow or brown, it has lost most of its potency and is worth replacing.

Common questions

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